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Home My WebLink About4/7/2026 Item Public Comment, Jenkins Scott Jenkins < To:Stewart, Erica A; Francis, Emily; E-mail Council Website Subject:A Public Comment about the private companies operating the Police surveillance cameras and license plate readers - around SLO County + bar any Federal Agents, or ICE Agents, et al. to come within 100 feet of any polling location in any City, or any pol... Dear Mayor Erica A. Stewart, Vice Mayor, and City Council Members, of the City of San Luis Obispo, Thank you all for the good work you are doing. I am sending this Public Comment to all of the Cities in SLO County, and to the Board of Supervisors, with my concerns about surveillance cameras and our data privacy. I would like to make a Public Comment about the private companies operating the Police surveillance cameras and license plate readers that are all around SLO County. I have noticed these surveillance devices; but after reading two recent articles in the Tribune: "Is SLO County’s digital security ready for the age of ICE?" - February 9th, 2026, and, "Police surveillance cameras are scattered around SLO County. Some want them gone" - March 22nd, 2026, I have realized just what an invasion of our privacy these private surveillance companies pose to us all. These private for-profit companies have a history of secretly taking the information meant only for our local City and County law enforcement, and sharing it with ICE, CBP and DHS. This is also related to the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (TRUTH) Act, and making sure that the Sheriff's Department is transparent and forthcoming with any and all interactions with ICE, CBP and DHS, as that law requires. From the evidence it is apparent that has not been the case in 2024 and 2025. Another imperative is to pass an ordinance that bars any Federal Agents, or ICE Agents, to come within 100 feet of any polling location in any City, or any polling places, in SLO County, during our Elections. As current law requires of any law enforcement or political activists, near polling places. These articles give clear analysis of how our surveillance cameras, license plate readers, and police observation devices, if unregulated, can and will be a threat to all of our communities' data privacy, our security and our rights and freedoms. Along with giving DHS, ICE and CBP our identification information, descriptions and locations, to kidnap any of us without due process, if they so choose. In the article "Is SLO County’s digital security ready for the age of ICE?" The writer describes how "ICE gathers data, ICE hunts down targets by surveilling the general public. Phone records, text messages, video surveillance, facial recognition tracking and government partnerships provide enough data to track whereabouts, work and school schedules, and patterns of social life. Some of the enabling technologies are automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and police observation devices (PODs) — surveillance cameras typically operated by third-party contractors — that allow law enforcement agencies to map patterns of life based on where your car goes and your face appears. The SLO County Sheriff’s Office uses both." Along with much more worrying facts and data, that have been uncovered by these articles. 1 The article "Police surveillance cameras are scattered around SLO County. Some want them gone" researched and found the locations of many of the ALPRs, PODs and surveillance cameras: "Here’s how many fixed-location Flock cameras are used by law enforcement agencies in SLO County: Cal Poly: 10 Flock cameras Grover Beach Police Department: 17 Flock cameras San Luis Obispo Police Department: Four Flock cameras, along with other ALPR cameras. Motorola Solutions cameras are the most popular brand of fixed license plate readers in SLO County: Arroyo Grande Police Department: Two Motorola cameras Paso Robles Police Department: Seven Motorola cameras Morro Bay Police Department: 10 Motorola cameras SLO County Sheriff’s Office: 21 Motorola cameras The Pismo Beach Police Department also uses Motorola ALPRs, but it did not disclose the specific number of devices to The Tribune." These articles and detailed information are a call to action, for all of our Mayors and City Council Members, and the SLO County Board of Supervisors, requesting them to quickly implement policies to protect our communities from private data brokers selling our private information to ICE, CBP and DHS. They also show how other local county and city governments, in other California counties, have ended the use of these private surveillance companies due to their cooperation with ICE. SLO County, and SLO County Cities need to pass data protection policies ASAP, as other smart counties have done. And also, we must bar any Federal Agents, ICE Agents, et al. to come within 100 feet of any polling location in any City, or any polling places in SLO County, during our Elections. As current law requires of any law enforcement or political activists, near polling places. Thank You. And I hope you will take action soon. Best regards, Scott Jenkins San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805 752-1204 - landline Please read - References: "Is SLO County’s digital security ready for the age of ICE?" Opinion By Clara Fulks February 9, 2026 Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/article314635190.html#storylink=cpy "Police surveillance cameras are scattered around SLO County. Some want them gone" By Hannah Poukish and Sadie Dittenber - March 22, 2026 Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article314928932.html#storylink=cpy 2