Taking action: In the face of automatic license plate readers, this is what Salinas residents can do

OPINION |

By Corina De La Torre

MAIN STORY: The cameras Salinas approved in 2021 pose a danger to our community

Protecting Salinas residents from federal surveillance overreach does not require a fight with the state or federal government. It requires our local leaders to use the authority they already have. Salinas residents, including City Council members and the police department, have the authority to act and address the issue of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) now. Collectively, we all can address this issue. Other cities have shown it is possible and Salinas can follow their lead.

The City Council and Police Department can take meaningful steps right now:

    1. Remove or suspend use of cameras in areas where community members are most at risk — near schools, medical clinics, farmworker housing and houses of worship.
    2. Limit the active camera network to only those locations where there is a clear, documented public safety need and end the use of federal funding to expand a system that has proven to be a liability.
    3. Conduct and publicly release a full audit of every agency that has accessed Salinas ALPR data, including any federal or out-of-state access, and establish a transparency portal so residents can see how the system is being used on an ongoing basis.
    4. Immediately disable any national or statewide lookup settings in the Flock system that allow outside agencies to access Salinas data without explicit city authorization — and verify with Flock in writing that no such settings are active.
    5. Work directly with residents, through a genuinely accessible public forum, to codevelop a community safety plan that does not put our neighbors at risk of federal enforcement. 

We are a community. Collectively, we are the farmworkers who feed this country, the families who have built our lives here, and our youth are the next generation of Salinas residents who deserve to live in safety and dignity. Not just from crime, but from federal immigration surveillance. We decide what technology is deployed in our neighborhoods, who represents us, and what kind of community we want to be. We can demand a different outcome. We can show up to City Council meetings, call our district representatives, organize our neighbors, and make clear that surveillance technology that puts our community at risk of federal enforcement targeting has no place in Salinas.

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About Corina De La Torre

Corina De La Torre was born and raised in east Salinas. She is currently a Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University and a part of a larger Salinas coalition invested in advocating for long term policy changes that will result in safe, thriving neighborhoods and schools.