Flock was #9 on the agenda and was listed as a discussion item. What we got was the City of Ridgecrest doing everything they could to delay public comment on the agenda item. Over the last 2 years, my family has attended these meetings together and we normally are able to get home around 8pm. In previous meetings where a discussion item was on the agenda, such as Backyard Chickens and the Data Center, there was actual discussion and public comment- no presentations. Additionally, in both cases where the public had requested a discussion item, they were #4 on the agenda.
The Chief of Police talked for 1 hour and 20 minutes until 9:07PM- and this was with his presentation that was cut short. A teleprompter was set up for him so he could just read endlessly. There was some good information in the presentation that went over what the contract said before and the changes the De-Flock Committee proposed. However, it was mostly gaslighting and half truths that were meant to spread fear in the community.
In the two cases of child abduction by a parent, the person was apprehended in areas where there were no active Flock cameras. LA had already canceled their contract and California City doesn’t have Flock cameras. For the most recent case where the man was found in LA, a warrant was filed and granted to get the GPS location of his newer vehicle that had this location feature. The excuse that the Chief of Police kept giving was that he needs warrantless surveillance with Flock to catch criminals doesn’t hold water. In the most recent case, a warrant was issued and granted in time to be able to find the vehicle and the people. No harm has been reported to have happened to the children in both cases. The police already know who took the children, so why did they need Flock to get a warrant?
The City had every intention of obstructing people’s ability to make comments as they had to go home to put their kids to bed and get rest before work the next day. There were about 80 people who had left the room before the meeting was over just past midnight. This is a huge disservice to the people of Ridgecest. We need new members on the Council to turn this meeting around.
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