California Installing Nearly 500 Surveillance Cameras to Combat Criminal Activity

The camera network installation comes as the violent crime index in one city rose by 21 percent, robbery 38 percent, and vehicle theft by 44 percent.

An In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Oakland, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2024. Fast food chain In-N-Out Burger is closing one of its profitable restaurants due to high crime in the area, such as car break-ins and armed robbery. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the installation of hundreds of cameras in Oakland and East Bay in an effort to improve public safety, a move criticized as creating a surveillance state.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has entered into a contract with Georgia-based crime-fighting tech firm Flock Safety to install roughly 480 high-tech cameras in a bid to “combat criminal activity and freeway violence,” according to a March 29 press release from Mr. Newsom’s office. Out of the 480 cameras, 290 are expected to be deployed in and around Oakland while 190 will be installed along state highways in East Bay. “The camera network will use a patented technology that allows law enforcement agencies to identify vehicle attributes beyond license plate numbers.”