Cristina Arriola Archives - Open Vallejo

A middle-aged Black man wearing a suit sits to the right of a blonde woman who appears to be in her sixties. She is wearing glasses, a black top and a brown sweater. Both individuals are seated at a wooden city council dais. An American flag hangs behind them.

Vallejo officials’ handling of evidence destruction probe marked by confusion, concern

by Laurence Du Sault and Geoffrey King February 22, 2023April 29, 2025

Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams is sworn into office under the gaze of a city surveillance camera on Nov. 12, 2019. A BuzzFeed News investigation found that Vallejo was one of more than 1,800 public entities to use a facial recognition technology so powerful, it is the subject of numerous lawsuits and several government probes. A Vallejo police spokesperson said the department’s command staff were unaware of its use prior to being contacted for comment by Open Vallejo.

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Vallejo police secretly tested ‘dystopian’ facial recognition tool

by Brian Howey April 13, 2021April 29, 2025