The City of Richmond Tuesday will consider what’s next for its license plate-reading cameras. It’s among the communities trying to weigh the crime-fighting benefit with issues of privacy. The cameras currently are off, and the question is whether they should be switched back on, with lots of people showing up for the last discussion that the council ran out of time to vote. There’s a small but vocal group who want the Flock cameras turned back on, saying they deter crime. There are plenty of people who want the automatic license plate reading cameras gone for good. In October, the Richmond police chief asked for the cameras to be shut off because outside agencies could access the license plate data, though there’s no proof that they did in Richmond. The mayor has said privacy is one issue, and how Flock operates is another. The report that the council will discuss on Tuesday indicates that there was an increase in crime following the disabling of the cameras. The staff recommendation is that the city reinstate the Flock license plate reading cameras and extend the Flock CCTV contract until the end of the year, including the “Flock Drone as First Responder” program. NCB Bay Area’s Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above. Richmond Mar 3 Rally over Flock cameras contract vote in Richmond Richmond Mar 4 Debate over Flock safety cameras continues in Richmond ...read more read less