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License-plate readers · Alameda County

Alameda County

Using license-plate readers · 5 agencies documented

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Alameda County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
KQED (July 2026) said the county approved a contract for roughly 100 plate readers countywide about three years earlier; no current count found.
Contract
Flock Safety: $550,600 not-to-exceed total · from July 1, 2023 · to June 30, 2025 · approved by Alameda County Board of Supervisors June 27, 2023 · Piggyback on San José Police Department contract; first amendment (Aug. 6, 2024) extended to June 30, 2025. (Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Jan. 26, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $303,600 increase (new NTE $854,200) · from July 1, 2025 · to June 30, 2026 · approved by Alameda County Board of Supervisors April 2026 · Second amendment, retroactive, funded by state COPS Frontline funds. Approved 3-2: Haubert, Tam, Miley yes; Fortunato Bas, Márquez no. (Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Jan. 26, 2026; The Livermore Vine (Bay City News), April 27, 2026; NBC Bay Area, April 22, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,400,000 18-month total · from July 2026 · to Dec. 2027 · approved by Alameda County Board of Supervisors June 30, 2026 · Bridge contract merging ALPR, pan-tilt-zoom and drone agreements while the county prepares an RFP. Approved 3-2: Haubert, Miley, Tam yes; Fortunato Bas, Márquez no. (The Livermore Vine, July 4, 2026; KQED, July 8, 2026)
Data sharing
Per the sheriff's Feb. 2026 board report, the office says it does not share with ICE or federal agencies and asked Flock in early 2025 to deactivate the National Lookup tool.
  1. April 2026 Board voted 3-2 to pay Flock for service provided while out of contract and extend through June 30, 2026. Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez said federal and ICE sharing was disabled and that every police agency in the county uses Flock. (NBC Bay Area, April 22, 2026; KALW, April 22, 2026; East Bay Insiders, April 22, 2026; The Livermore Vine (Bay City News), April 27, 2026)
  2. June 30, 2026 Board voted 3-2 for an 18-month, $2.4 million bridge contract through Dec. 2027. A sergeant said it bars Flock from sharing county data with federal or out-of-state agencies. (The Livermore Vine, July 4, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • April vote date likely April 21, 2026 (inferred from 'Tuesday').
  • Sources differ on the April extension end: 'through the end of June' (NBC) vs. 'until July 1' (KALW, Livermore Vine); the board report says June 30, 2026.
  • Board report lists 623 LPR alerts and 60 arrests from Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, 2025.
  • Some event dates here are inferred from weekday references (such as “Tuesday”) in news reports; confirm from meeting records.

From agency records.

Oakland Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
291
291 existing cameras retained plus 40 new pan-tilt-zoom cameras approved Dec. 2025, per KQED. Other reported counts: 292 (Oakland North), 290 (Bay City News), about 300 (KTVU).
Contract
Flock Safety: $2,250,000 two-year total · from Dec. 2025 · approved by Oakland City Council Dec. 16, 2025 · Two-year term (end date not stated). Approved 7-1, Carroll Fife no. Requires an RFP for alternative vendors within 18 months, a two-key approval for new data-sharing, and quarterly independent audits. (KQED, Dec. 17, 2025; KTVU FOX 2, Dec. 16, 2025)
  1. 2024 CHP contracted with Flock for 480 cameras in Oakland and nearby East Bay highways; OPD entered a three-year agreement with CHP for access to that data. (Oakland North, Nov. 19, 2025)
  2. July 2024 OPD's own cameras were first deployed. (KQED, Dec. 17, 2025)
  3. Nov. 18, 2025 Public Safety Committee deadlocked 2-2 on the $2.25 million contract (Wang, Houston yes; Fife, Brown no). (Oakland North, Nov. 19, 2025)
  4. Dec. 16, 2025 Full council approved the two-year contract 7-1. (KQED, Dec. 17, 2025; KTVU FOX 2, Dec. 16, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KTVU gave the contract as $2.2 million; KQED and Oakland North $2.25 million.
  • Dec. 16 date inferred from 'Tuesday' in Dec. 17 KQED article.
  • Some event dates here are inferred from weekday references (such as “Tuesday”) in news reports; confirm from meeting records.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Berkeley Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
52
52 ALPR units, per KQED and SF Standard, May 2026.
Contract
Flock Safety: $200,000 one-year total · from July 2026 · to July 2027 · approved by Berkeley City Council May 7, 2026 · Extension of existing ALPR contract, approved 5-4 (Taplin, Kesarwani, O'Keefe, Blackaby, Humbert yes; Ishii, Tregub, Lunaparra, Bartlett no). (Bay City News via Piedmont Exedra, May 12, 2026; KQED, May 8, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $310,000 four-year not-to-exceed · approved by Berkeley City Council · Staff recommendation (Sept. 9, 2025) for Flock Condor fixed video cameras, option to $600,000 over seven years; council outcome not confirmed. Not an ALPR contract. (City of Berkeley, Sept. 9, 2025)
  1. 2023 Flock contract first approved, per KQED. (KQED, May 8, 2026)
  2. March 2026 Annual report to council said plate readers were used in 121 cases, contributing to 58 arrests and 37 stolen-vehicle recoveries. (KQED / CalMatters, Aug. 4, 2026)
  3. May 7, 2026 Council extended the 52-camera ALPR contract for one year 5-4 and rejected 8-1 an expansion with pan-tilt-zoom cameras, drones and investigative software, directing competitive bidding. (Bay City News via Piedmont Exedra, May 12, 2026; KQED, May 8, 2026; The San Francisco Standard, May 11, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Rejected expansion value differs: about $2 million (SF Standard, Bay City News) vs. about $1.4 million over four years (KQED).
  • Camera count conflict: 52 (KQED, SF Standard, CalMatters) vs. 'just over 30' (KQED podcast).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Fremont Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
  1. June 2014 City Council unanimously approved a $300,000 project of up to a dozen video cameras plus license plate readers; vendor not yet chosen. (CBS San Francisco, June 17, 2014)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No 2025-2026 source on current Fremont ALPR use found. Alameda County Sheriff Sanchez said in April 2026 that every police agency in the county uses Flock (NBC Bay Area); that is a secondhand statement, not a Fremont record.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Hayward Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Conflicts and open questions
  • No source opened confirms Hayward's current license-plate reader vendor or status. Records request needed.
  • Sheriff Sanchez's April 2026 statement that every county police agency uses Flock (NBC Bay Area) is secondhand.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Statewide

  1. Jan. 1, 2016 SB 34 (Statutes of 2015, Chapter 532), codified at Civil Code section 1798.90.5 and following, took effect. It requires ALPR operators and end users to keep a usage and privacy policy, log access, and share ALPR information only with public agencies. The Attorney General reads 'public agency' to exclude out-of-state and federal agencies. (California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Oct. 27, 2023)
  2. Feb. 13, 2020 The California State Auditor released report 2019-118 on the Fresno Police Department, LAPD, Marin County Sheriff's Office and Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. It found none of the four audited staff searches of ALPR images, three of the four shared images without first checking the recipient's right and need to know, and 70 percent of surveyed agencies ran or planned to run ALPR. It recommended a state model policy and a maximum retention period set in law. (California State Auditor, Feb. 13, 2020)
  3. Oct. 27, 2023 The Attorney General's Division of Law Enforcement issued Information Bulletin 2023-DLE-06, telling state and local agencies that SB 34 bars sharing ALPR information with out-of-state and federal agencies, with model policy guidance. (California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Oct. 27, 2023; California Office of the Attorney General, Oct. 3, 2025)
  4. April 2, 2024 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a California Highway Patrol contract with Flock Safety for about 480 cameras: about 290 on Oakland surface streets and 190 on East Bay state highways, with a 28-day retention period. (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, April 2, 2024)
  5. June 18, 2025 CalMatters and The Markup reported, from a search log obtained by Oakland Privacy covering April 28 to May 30, 2025, that 10 agencies, nine in Southern California and six in Los Angeles County, ran searches for ICE, including LAPD; the Orange and San Diego County sheriffs ran searches for Border Patrol. Riverside County logged four 'hsinvest' searches but said they were narcotics cases. (The Markup / CalMatters, June 18, 2025)
  6. Oct. 2025 Gov. Newsom vetoed SB 274, which would have required deletion of some ALPR data after 60 days, officer training, documented case reasons for searches and random Department of Justice audits. His veto message said the 60-day limit could impede investigations, particularly cold cases. (CalMatters, Oct. 3, 2025)
  7. Oct. 3, 2025 Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a petition for a writ of mandate in San Diego County Superior Court against the City of El Cajon, its police department and Chief Jeremiah Larson, alleging the department shared ALPR data with agencies in 26 other states in violation of SB 34. The AG's office said it had contacted 18 agencies about possible violations since 2024. (California Office of the Attorney General, Oct. 3, 2025; CalMatters, Oct. 3, 2025)
  8. Nov. 24, 2025 CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee wrote to Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley that data from CHP's Flock cameras may not be shared with federal officials, citing the contract's bar on sharing outside California. (KTVU FOX 2, Nov. 24, 2025)
  9. Jan. 2026 The Attorney General filed a motion in California v. City of El Cajon asking the court to order the city to stop sharing ALPR data with out-of-state agencies; the AG said the data reached more than 100 agencies outside California. A hearing was set for Feb. 13, 2026. No ruling was found in sources checked as of Oct. 17, 2026. (California Office of the Attorney General, Jan. 21, 2026; NBC 7 San Diego, Jan. 22, 2026; NBC 7 San Diego, Feb. 8, 2026)
  10. Aug. 31, 2026 SB 1013 (Cervantes), similar to the vetoed SB 274, passed the Senate but did not receive an Assembly floor vote before the session ended; CalMatters reported Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry held it. CalMatters counted this as the fifth straight year without new ALPR rules; nearly 40 law enforcement agencies and unions opposed the bill. (CalMatters (republished by LAist), Sept. 3, 2026; CalMatters Digital Democracy, date not shown)
  11. Oct. 2026 A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge dismissed a challenge to San Jose's ALPR network, rejecting claims that warrantless searches of ALPR data violate the state constitution's privacy and search provisions (outside this researcher's counties; recorded as statewide legal context). (San Jose Spotlight (republished by Local News Matters), Oct. 7, 2026)

State agencies

California Highway Patrol

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety, Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No statewide count found. The 2024 East Bay contract covers about 480 Flock cameras (about 290 Oakland streets, 190 East Bay highways); CHP also runs mobile ALPR on patrol vehicles under General Order 81.1.
Data sharing
CHP's contract with Flock bars sharing with the federal government or any entity outside California, per the commissioner's Nov. 2025 letter (ca1-ktvu-chp-letter). Vehicle Code 2413 bars making data available to non-law-enforcement agencies or individuals.
  1. Oct. 2020 General Order 81.1 (revised October 2020) sets CHP's ALPR rules: mobile ALPR data is kept 60 days and then purged, access is limited to personnel with an investigative need, and ALPR use is reported each year in the auto theft report to the Legislature. (California Highway Patrol, Oct. 2020)
  2. Oct. 2020 Vehicle Code 2413 limits CHP retention of plate-reader data to 60 days except for evidence or felony investigations, bars selling the data, and limits its use to locating vehicles or people suspected in a public offense. (California Legislature (via california.public.law), date not shown)
  3. Feb. 8, 2024 The Oaklandside reported CHP would run Oakland's 300-camera Flock network funded by a $1.2 million state loan; CHP keeps data 60 days while Oakland and Flock agreed to 30. (The Oaklandside, Feb. 8, 2024)
  4. April 2, 2024 The governor's office announced the CHP-Flock contract for about 480 cameras in Oakland and the East Bay with 28-day retention. (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, April 2, 2024)
  5. Nov. 24, 2025 The CHP commissioner told Flock in writing that CHP camera data cannot be shared with federal officials. (KTVU FOX 2, Nov. 24, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Retention differs by source: 60 days (GO 81.1, mobile ALPR; Vehicle Code 2413 cap), 28 days (governor's release on the East Bay Flock network), 60 days (Oaklandside on CHP practice). These may describe different systems.
  • No CHP Flock deployment in the ten southern counties was found; not checked through CHP contract records (searches exhausted).

From agency records.