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License-plate readers · Humboldt County

Humboldt County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

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Humboldt County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
9
Nine Flock cameras per county records: seven bought in FY 2022-23 and two mobile cameras in FY 2023-24 (staff reports of April 9, 2024 and June 2, 2026).
Contract
Flock Safety: $21,150 purchase (FY 2022-23) · from March 24, 2023 · to June 30, 2027 · Seven cameras bought with Byrne JAG funds, with one year of maintenance. The county attaches a Flock agreement dated 2023.03.24-2027.06.30. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), April 9, 2024; County of Humboldt (Legistar), June 2, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $14,000 purchase (FY 2023-24) · Two mobile cameras bought with Homeland Security grant funds, with two years of maintenance. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), April 9, 2024; County of Humboldt (Legistar), June 2, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $21,000 per year · from July 1, 2025 · to June 30, 2027 · Annual maintenance for all cameras, paid from the General Fund, Prop 172/COPS and Homeland Security funds per the June 2026 staff report; renewal amendment term 07/01/2025-06/30/2027, signed 7/11/2025. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), June 2, 2026; County of Humboldt (Legistar), July 11, 2025)
Data sharing
The sheriff's April 2024 report to the board states the office does not sell, share or transfer ALPR information except to another public agency under Civil Code 1798.90.55(b) (ca4-humboldt-lg-24325).
  1. April 9, 2024 The Board of Supervisors accepted the sheriff's ALPR program report, the SB 34 public-comment step. The report said the office shares ALPR data only with other public agencies as Civil Code 1798.90.55(b) allows. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), April 9, 2024)
  2. June 2, 2026 On an item placed on the agenda by Supervisor Steve Madrone, the board voted 4-1 (Rex Bohn no), on motions by Michelle Bushnell seconded by Madrone, to direct Public Works to return with a policy on Flock cameras on county property, rights-of-way and easements for third-party applicants, and to form an ad hoc group (Bushnell, Madrone, and sheriff's and County Administrative Office representatives) to develop surveillance-use recommendations that IT would use to draft a countywide policy or ordinance. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), June 2, 2026)
  3. June 2, 2026 A motion by Madrone to cut the $21,000 General Fund amount for Flock from the sheriff's budget failed 2-3 (Madrone and Mike Wilson aye; Bohn, Michelle Bushnell, Natalie Arroyo no). His motions to draft an ordinance barring ALPRs on county property and to deny the $21,000 died without a second. (County of Humboldt (Legistar), June 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Camera count differs: nine purchased per county staff reports versus six sheriff's Flock cameras cited by the Times-Standard in February 2025 (ca4-govtech-eureka). The two mobile units may explain the gap.

From agency records.

Eureka Police Department

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
No cameras: the council rejected the proposed 21-camera Flock contract.
  1. Oct. 2024 At an October 2024 meeting the City Council asked for more input on the department's ALPR policy before acting. (GovTech (Times-Standard, distributed by TNS), Feb. 6, 2025)
  2. Feb. 2025 At a Tuesday meeting reported Feb. 6, 2025, the City Council voted unanimously to deny a two-year Flock contract for 21 fixed cameras after about two hours of public comment opposing it. (GovTech (Times-Standard, distributed by TNS), Feb. 6, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Status 'none' rests on the February 2025 rejection; no later Eureka ALPR action was found, but city records after that date were not checked (search budget).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

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.