The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Twitter feed mistakenly contained a retweet from Richard Spencer Monday night. ALAMEDA COUNTYShortly before midnight, the Alameda County Sheriffs Office retweeted a video from prominent white supremacist Richard Spencer. The tweet sent to followers of… Read More ›
ACLU
Sheriff Ahern remains steadfast in his stance on Alameda County’s immigration practices
Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern at a town hall Friday evening in Cherryland. ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFFActivists at a town hall Friday in Cherryland shouted down Alameda County Gregory Ahern, jeered, hissed and booed him over his department’s immigration policies. “I… Read More ›
Alameda’s body camera policy may fall short on transparency
Alameda Police Chief Paul Rolleri ALAMEDA CITY COUNCIL | When an Alameda police officer was accused three years ago of using excessive force that resulted in multiple arm fractures to a mentally ill man, footage from a body camera purchased… Read More ›
Privacy policy for Oakland surveillance center moving closer to reality
Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo: “Our right to privacy is being challenged by the tools we carry,” he said, including smartphones. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | Since the initial unveiling of a controversial citywide surveillance hub in Oakland in 2013, opponents have… Read More ›
Alameda Chief on License Plate Readers: ‘I’m not Trying to Spy on Anyone’
Alameda Police Chief Paul Rolleri, above; a version of a patrol car-mounted automated license plate reader, below. ALAMEDA | PRIVACY | The often insular community of Alameda may soon have Automated License Plate Readers rapidly scanning automobiles passing through the island… Read More ›
State Lawmakers Struggle With Domestic Drones And Privacy Safeguards
Drone replica displayed last February in Alameda County. PHOTO/Shane Bond ASSEMBLY//DRONES/PRIVACY | As two high-profile drone bills sit in Assemby, members of its Public Safety Committee continue to grapple with the rapidly changing growth and privacy implication that stems from the potential use… Read More ›
Amid Cries Of ‘Shame,’ Oakland Approves Funding Citywide Surveillance Program
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL | At a time when Americans are increasingly skeptical of government surveillance in their lives, the Oakland City Council reversed the trend early Wednesday morning by authorizing funding for a large-scale citywide surveillance center backed by federal stimulus dollars. As… Read More ›
ACLU: Oakland DAC Amounts To Warrantless Surveillance Of Residents
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL//PRIVACY | Oakland’s plan to link disparate video feeds across the city and port into one massive data center is drawing intense criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. In a letter sent Wednesday to… Read More ›
Swalwell Supports Obama’s Use Of Drones; Hedges In Alameda County
Model of a Predator drone outside Alameda County Administrative Building, Feb. 14. CONGRESS | Rep. Eric Swalwell told The Citizen recently that he “trusts the president,” and “fully supports him and doesn’t want to take away authority from him,” when it… Read More ›
Alameda County Hosts First Public Battle Over Use Of Domestic Drones
PHOTO/Shane Bond ALAMEDA COUNTY BOS//DRONES | After months of contention and concern, the residents of Alameda County were finally afforded a public hearing Thursday afternoon to discuss the potential purchase of aerial drones by the county sheriff’s department. Activists, many wearing neon… Read More ›
Alameda County Sheriff Lays Out Guidelines For Possible Use Of Domestic Drones
ALAMEDA COUNTY | The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department says strict guidelines will be used to ensure the use of drones for law enforcement purposes will not be used to violate the privacy of county residents. The sheriff’s department laid out… Read More ›
Inclusion Of Drone Purchase On Supervisors Agenda Was An Oversight, Says Undersheriff
Linda Lye, attorney for ACLU in Oakland before Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. ALCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS | The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department says the placement of an agenda item before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning requesting approval for… Read More ›
ACLU Asks Alameda County To Put Off Discussion Of Sheriff Purchasing Drones
ALCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS | The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to remove a controversial request by its sheriff’s department to purchase an unmanned aerial aircraft at Tuesday’s meeting. The request is buried… Read More ›