Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, vehemently opposed the organization Flock Safety, and publicly demanded that the LAPD quit using its brilliant license plate readers system. The mayor felt that the company had lost the trust of its citizens because of the possibility that the information might be used in immigration operations.

The mayor made it clear that she supports the use of technology to fight crime, but that the current company no longer provides enough protection for people ' privacy, particularly immigrant neighborhoods, according to data obtained from the Los Angeles Times.

According to Bass," The LAPD needs to find another company that doesn't promote data. "

LAPD defends its tech

According to the LAPD, automated license plate readers have been able to identify stolen cars and discover vehicles involved in criminal investigations. Concern increased, but, as a result of several cities in the nation terminating their Flock Safety deals because they feared the information would be used by national authorities to facilitate deportations.

The Washington Post's report, which documented at least 50 instances in which law enforcement officials were accused of improperly using monitoring systems to torment ex-partners or following citizens without proper justification, furthered the controversy.

In addition, a statement from the LAPD Inspector General's office discovered flaws in the agency's agreements with license plate reader vendors, including ambiguities regarding the agency's ability to share the data with other agencies.

Flock claims to improve regulates but denies working with ICE.

Flock Safety, which faced criticism, asserted that its clients are the ones who choose to access the information that the cameras record and that it does not have contracts with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service ( ICE).

Its CEO, Garrett Langley, explained in an interview with ABC7 that the company only keeps records for 30 days and rejected the idea that its devices use facial recognition technology.

Even so, civil organizations and activists consider that the risks to privacy remain high. During a public consultation organized by the LAPD Inspector General, residents and specialists warned that these systems could facilitate mass surveillance if there are no clear rules on access and use of information.

Karen Bass's petition once again places the LAPD under the microscope regarding the balance between public safety, privacy, and the protection of immigrant communities in the face of the immigration policies promoted by the Trump administration.

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