Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills addresses concerns over Flock cameras and AI policing

Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills is addressing renewed concerns over the city's use of Flock cameras after an interview from his time in Santa Cruz recently began circulating online.

In that interview, Mills expressed opposition to predictive policing technology. Some community members now question whether his current support and use of Flock cameras is consistent with those previous comments.

Mills says the two technologies are fundamentally different.

He explained that predictive policing algorithms could direct officers to specific locations based on patterns and identify behavior considered unusual, potentially creating concerns about racial profiling and personal bias.

Mills said Flock cameras, by comparison, provide information about specific vehicles connected to actual crimes or investigations.

“If it’s putting us at a location where there is actual crime taking place or that a vehicle has been spotted who is stolen, for instance, we’re not having to guess or use pretext stops to find out what’s going on in that vehicle,” Mills said.

Mills also argued that Flock technology can reduce the potential for personal bias because officers are responding to information about a vehicle or reported crime rather than making decisions based on an individual's characteristics.

Palm Springs currently has approximately 224 Flock cameras covering about 50 intersections throughout the city. Mills said he believes that number is appropriate for Palm Springs given the city's layout.

“We have approximately 50 intersections covered with cameras in the city,” Mills said. “That is not very many when you consider there are thousands of intersections in any given city.”

Mills encouraged residents to continue discussing the technology and to learn more about how the cameras are being used. He also urged community members to attend public meetings and speak directly with local law enforcement about Flock cameras and their role in policing.

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