Articles
What the Flock?
An index of reporting, court records, and public filings showing what happens beyond Flock's public-safety claims. These are the documented problems, mistakes, and abuses that can be easy to miss when the story comes only from the vendor or the agencies using the cameras.
13 articles · RSS
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@northbayvanguard on Instagram: "Over 400 people showed up to yesterday's Flock camera and ALPR meeting, hosted by the Santa Rosa Police Department."
instagram.com
According to the post description, over 400 people attended a Flock camera and ALPR meeting hosted by the Santa Rosa Police Department. Attendees were divided into small discussion groups to raise concerns rather than speaking at an open-mic forum. North Bay Vanguard says it interviewed attendees about their views on the cameras.
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Santa Rosa police chief faces packed house over controversial Flock cameras
yahoo.com
Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan held a forum attended by 400 to 500 people about the department's 143 Flock license plate reader cameras. Residents objected to contract terms granting Flock a perpetual license to the data and said outside agencies searched Santa Rosa data about 486,000 times a month versus roughly 5,000 local searches. Cregan said procedures had already been modified.
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The debate around Flock cameras intensifies in Sonoma County
sebastopoltimes.com
A Penngrove resident's petition demanding removal of Flock license plate cameras in Sonoma County gathered 214 signatures, citing surveillance and data-sharing concerns. A Sebastopol councilmember opposed the cameras, referencing ICE. A Sheriff's Department spokesperson said data is kept 30 days, is not linked to the DMV, involves no facial recognition, and is audited, crediting the cameras with aiding three homicide investigations in fiscal year 2025-26.
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Residents voice concerns over Flock cameras at Santa Rosa Community Advisory Board Meeting
northbayvanguard.com
At a July 22 Community Advisory Board meeting, Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan presented on Flock cameras and ALPRs, and residents alongside the North Bay Organizing Project questioned auditing of outside agency searches, data retention, and crime-prevention metrics. The department says data is kept 30 days and not shared federally. Over 730,000 plate reads were logged in 30 days, with more than 300 California agencies granted access.
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As license plate readers expand, North Bay communities debate the meaning of public safety
norcalpublicmedia.org
NorCal Public Media reports on the widening North Bay argument over automated license plate readers, covering how cities in and around Sonoma County have weighed police claims about solved cases against residents' objections to continuous vehicle tracking.
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Flock Safety ALPR Camera Installation Project (Notice of Exemption)
ceqanet.lci.ca.gov
A primary-source state filing. The City of Santa Rosa posted a CEQA Notice of Exemption on 3 April 2026 for installing a Flock camera and solar panel on an existing traffic signal or streetlight pole in the public right-of-way, on behalf of the Santa Rosa Police Department, on the grounds that no ground disturbance or new infrastructure is involved.
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Sonoma Extends Flock License Plate Camera Contract Through 2028
ksro.com
The Sonoma City Council unanimously approved a three-year, $150,000 extension of its Flock Safety license plate reader contract. Police Chief Brandon Cutting cited a 100% solution rate in recent vehicle-involved crimes, and the city maintains a 30-day deletion policy and a ban on sharing data with federal immigration agencies. Sonoma operates 16 cameras and officials are discussing expanding coverage to all major routes into town.
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Sonoma City Council extends Flock contract for automated license plate readers
sonomanews.com
Sonoma's city council voted unanimously on 30 March 2026 to extend its Flock Safety contract three years through September 2028 at up to $50,500 annually, covering 16 cameras. Police Chief Brandon Cutting cited a September 2025 home invasion solved with the system and said data deletes after 30 days. The council separately approved $224,000 for Verkada cameras at city facilities.
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City Council expected to renew Flock Safety contract for automatic license plate readers
sonomanews.com
The Sonoma City Council was set to vote March 30 on a three-year, $50,000-per-year renewal with Flock Safety extending use of 16 fixed license plate cameras through September 2028. The proposed contract sets 30-day retention, limits access to three certified administrators tied to documented cases, and bars sharing with federal or out-of-state agencies under SB 34. Local group Wake Up Sonoma has urged a city ordinance codifying privacy rules and public disclosure of camera locations and audits.
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Petaluma latest Sonoma County city to debate use of license plate readers
pressdemocrat.com
Petaluma's Public Safety Advisory Committee took up the city's four Flock cameras, adding Petaluma to the list of Sonoma County jurisdictions reconsidering license plate readers. The Press Democrat covers the committee's deliberations and the arguments residents and police brought to them.
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Cameras in Sonoma Are Watching You
sonomasun.com
A detailed account of the 16 ALPR cameras installed around the City of Sonoma's perimeter in 2023 for roughly $50,000. The cameras record plate numbers, vehicle color and type, and whether a plate is present. Police Chief Brandon Cutting, one of three certified administrators, says federal agencies cannot reach the data and that outside requests require administrator approval and are logged.
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Public safety must-have or threat to civil liberties? Debate over Flock license plate reader cameras has taken hold in North Bay
pressdemocrat.com
The Press Democrat surveys Flock deployments across the North Bay and finds Santa Rosa running the largest network in the region: 129 cameras with four more awaiting installation, under two contracts worth $421,650 and $897,999 in state and federal money, on a 30-day retention window. Healdsburg and Rohnert Park operate 26 and 23 cameras respectively.
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Santa Rosa police chief addresses concerns about Flock cameras, privacy and ICE access
newsbreak.com
Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan told KRCB that the department's license plate reader data is shared only with a limited set of Northern California agencies under signed memoranda of understanding, and is not shared with federal agencies or used for immigration, political, medical, or religious tracking. He cited errors at Chico and Mountain View as human error and said a community meeting was scheduled for September 17 at the Utility Field Office.