El Cerrito police cite Flock assistance in homicide arrest, say they’d be further along if they still had their own cameras
In announcing the arrest of one of the suspects in an Aug. 23 fatal shooting, El Cerrito police said they were able to identify the vehicle they believe was used by the three suspects with the help of other jurisdictions and their Flock and Vigilant cameras. The Flock cameras in El Cerrito, including ones near where the shooting took place, had only recently been removed.
A Nixle announcement said El Cerrito detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jacari Talifero Gibson,18, from Richmond, Aug. 24 and working with Richmond police took him into custody and searched his home. El Cerrito police are still looking for two suspects, one they believe shot the 21-year-old victim and the other they believe drove the vehicle used by the suspects to flee the scene. That vehicle, a 2017 Nissan Maxima, was located the evening of Aug. 24, 2026 by Vallejo police officers, the El Cerrito department reported.
Police suspect Gibson of being the lookout in the killing in the shopping center parking lot at the corner of Potrero and San Pablo avenues, according to a report from KTVU. According to the news report, the area was crowded with Los Moles restaurant customers when two young men approached the red Toyota Camry where the victim and two passengers were sitting. One suspect got into the backseat of the Camry directly behind the driver and shot him, then all three suspects fled in the Maxima, according to the report.
“Surveillance cameras near the scene of the crime captured footage of the suspect’s vehicle,” the Nixle announcement said. “This footage did not provide ECPD with a license plate. Investigators collaborated with regional jurisdictions to identify a license plate for the suspect vehicle, thanks to Flock Safety and Vigilant ALPR cameras. This information proved essential in identifying the vehicle used by the suspects to flee the scene. El Cerrito Investigators placed the vehicle on a statewide alert list.”
El Cerrito Police Chief Paul Keith told KTVU, “I still believe license-plate readers are the best tool that modern law enforcement agencies can have.” If El Cerrito’s cameras were still in place, he told the news station, police would have been able to locate the vehicle involved in the incident much quicker.
Richmond’s Police Chief Tim Simmons shut down that city’s Flock license plate reader cameras in November 2025 after discovering data from the cameras had accidentally been made searchable by outside agencies, according to reporting by Richmondside, although it continued to use other Flock equipment. The Richmond City Council later voted 4-3 to turn the cameras back on, according to the news site.
Use of the cameras has been hotly debated locally and throughout the country, with police and others concerned about public safety calling it a valuable law enforcement tool and opponents citing instances of abuse of the technology and distrust over how data from the cameras could be used.
El Cerrito had 40 Flock cameras operating in the city, including ones near where the shooting took place. After an almost-three hour discussion of the cameras at a meeting in early May, the El Cerrito City Council voted 3-2 not to renew its contract with Flock Safety, with Gabe Quinto and Carolyn Wysinger dissenting, according to Livable El Cerrito. Forty-seven people requested to speak at the meeting, with opponents outnumbering supporters, according to the news site.
In a June 11 Nixle post, the El Cerrito Police Department reported all 40 Flock license plates readers had been shut down. The post said the three-year contract with Flock coincided with the city’s lowest levels of robberies, burglaries, and vehicle thefts in 40 years.
“License plate reading cameras played a large role in making these outstanding outcomes possible. The city does not have plans to replace the system and officers no longer have access to this powerful investigative tool,” The June 11 post said.
Despite the council vote, Flock was slow to remove the equipment, and the city continued to hear from angry residents. Police Chief Keith reported at the Aug. 18 meeting that 30 cameras were still up and some had been vandalized. The city issued a notice to Flock Aug. 20 demanding that the remaining equipment be removed within 10 days. Unofficial reports suggest all the equipment has now been removed.
Full text of the Aug. 24 Nixle report:
“Community: Homicide Accomplice Arrested and Suspect Vehicle Located
Homicide Update – August 24, 2026 – 9:30 PM
On Monday, August 24, 2026, El Cerrito detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jacari Talifero Gibson, an 18-year-old man from Richmond, for murder and robbery in connection with the homicide in El Cerrito on Sunday, August 23.
“At 1:20 PM, on August 24, 2026, Richmond Police officers located Mr. Gibson in the City of Richmond. El Cerrito Officers took custody of Mr. Gibson, booked him for the crimes of murder and robbery, and transported him to the county jail in Martinez. Following his arrest, El Cerrito Investigators and Officers served a search warrant at Mr. Gibson’s residence in Richmond.
“Surveillance cameras near the scene of the crime captured footage of the suspect’s vehicle. This footage did not provide ECPD with a license plate. Investigators collaborated with regional jurisdictions to identify a license plate for the suspect vehicle, thanks to Flock Safety and Vigilant ALPR cameras. This information proved essential in identifying the vehicle used by the suspects to flee the scene. El Cerrito Investigators placed the vehicle on a statewide alert list.
“During the evening of August 24, 2026, Vallejo Police officers located the 2017 Nissan Maxima used in the commission of the murder.
“The ECPD is still searching for Mr. Gibson’s two accomplices, including the shooter and the getaway driver. The ECPD asks anyone with information regarding their identity or whereabouts to contact investigators at (510) 237-3233.”
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Image El Cerrito Police Chief Paul Keith, screenshot taken from recording of Aug. 18 City Council meeting