Could Flock cameras wing their way out of Costa Mesa? Heads will weigh in Tuesday.

Costa Mesa leaders will examine a contract with Flock Safety Tuesday for automated license plate reader cameras, intended to help police fight crime, over concerns about unwarranted surveillance, misuse and agencies using or sharing data to target undocumented residents.

Mobilized under the slogan “Get the Flock out of Costa Mesa,” opponents of the devices say the 46 cameras strategically placed throughout the city are capable of tracking not only vehicle license plates, but also individuals’ whereabouts.

Reports of misuse by members of law enforcement — including a former Costa Mesa Police officer charged with accessing ALPR images to track his ex-wife, girlfriend and a third individual — have some people questioning whether the cameras violate constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure by government agencies.

The issue is not unique to Costa Mesa — Los Angeles Police Department officials are renegotiating a Flock contract for 138 cameras after last week temporarily halting the program over privacy concerns.

Those who support the use of such cameras claim the devices are tools that help police identify stolen vehicles or criminals with warrants. Costa Mesa Police Department officials estimate that during their first year of use, the cameras aided 107 felony arrests and the recovery of 80 stolen vehicles collectively valued at nearly $1.3 million.

Representatives from both sides of the debate are calling on others to join them in their advocacy for, or against, continuation of the contract during what may be dueling rallies ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. meeting at Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

The city in 2022 entered into an agreement with Flock to install 31 cameras at the cost of $97,600. Another 15 devices, paid for by an organized retail theft grant, were later installed on city streets. In 2024, officials approved a three-year lease with the Atlanta-based company, funded by a $306,000 budget allocation, plus $153,750 in grant funding.

Some members of the City Council have requested an audit of Costa Mesa Police Department’s use of the data collected by the cameras and, during a meeting in June, Councilmember Andrea Marr asked for an agenda item that would allow the panel to discontinue the city’s agreement with Flock, if it chose to do so.

What made it onto the agenda is a presentation and recommendation by staff to keep the cameras, with an indication that the council may alternatively “provide feedback and direction” on the city’s use of the devices.

The council Tuesday will also consider whether to place two revenue-generating measures on the November ballot — an increase of Costa Mesa’s Transient Occupancy Tax on overnight hotel and motel room stays and an overhaul of the city’s business license fee tables.

Staff are advising city officials not to increase the hotel tax, explaining in a staff report in the meeting agenda that hotel owners and general managers convened in a May 28 meeting “expressed concerns about being competitive with surrounding cities, particularly about ‘all-in pricing’ potentially pricing out customers.”

The final filing date for Costa Mesa’s city clerk to file ballot measures with the Orange County Registrar of Voters for the November election is Aug. 7.