Boy and girl, both 14, arrested after Flock hit on stolen car
The City Council approved the Flock camera contract about a year ago. Many of the license plate readers came online last month.
A hit from Berkeley's new Flock cameras led to the arrest Tuesday morning of a teenage boy and girl with a stolen car, authorities report.
The incident began Tuesday just after 9:15 a.m. when Berkeley police got an alert via its Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) system about a stolen white Lexus near Sacramento Street and University Avenue, police said.
Officers responded to the area and saw the stolen Lexus heading west on Delaware Street from Sacramento Street near the North Berkeley BART station.
Berkeley police turned on their lights and sirens to get the driver to stop, but the Lexus kept going.
BPD did not initiate a chase, in line with the department's pursuit policy.
But, a short time later, officers saw the driver parking the stolen Lexus in the 1100 block of Francisco Street near Curtis Street.
Two people, a teenage boy and girl, got out of the car and ran into the block, police said.
Officers found and arrested them after a brief search. They were identified as Berkeley residents, both 14 years old.
Their names were not released because they are minors.
Police said the Lexus had been taken from the 2100 block of Haste Street, near Shattuck Avenue, on Monday.
Emilie Raguso
Some Flock cameras up and running, others still pending
The Berkeley City Council approved the Flock camera contract about a year ago after initially approving the ALPR program in July 2023.
Many of the license plate readers came online last month.
According to a recent memo, the city has installed 32 ALPRs in a brief ramp-up phase that is expected to wrap up this month ("after which the technology will be fully operational").
During the initial period, "experienced officers," supervisors and detectives will use the cameras to determine how best to proceed with the full department rollout.
Last month, a Flock hit led to a Berkeley police chase and subsequent arrest in Oakland.
Some cities, including El Cerrito, post extensive information online about their Flock camera hits. It was unclear as of this week whether Berkeley is planning something similar.
The city is working to install another 20 Flock cameras on Ashby and San Pablo avenues pending Caltrans approval.
Emilie Raguso
In addition to the Flock cameras, the City Council also approved more than a dozen fixed surveillance cameras on city property last year.
According to the recent memo, seven of those cameras "are expected to be installed by the end of the year" while others are pending Caltrans review.
"Fixed surveillance cameras are already in use at San Pablo Park, the Berkeley Marina, and the intersection of University Avenue and 6th Street," the city said.
