Flock License Plate Readers Enabled Unlawful Out-of-State Data Sharing
Flock Safety's automated license plate reader system inadvertently allowed out-of-state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities to access license plate data from California police departments in violation of state law. Police departments in Santa Cruz, Capitola, and the University of Arizona subsequently implemented restrictions on data sharing after the company disabled the nationwide portal in February 2025.
What happened
Police departments across California using Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras were inadvertently opted into a nationwide data sharing portal that allowed out-of-state law enforcement agencies to access license plate data. The University of Arizona Police Department acknowledged that before implementing a new policy in October 2025, its Flock system was part of a national information-sharing network used by law enforcement agencies across the country.
Capitola police confirmed in November 2025 that data from Flock cameras had been accessed by federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies, and Santa Cruz police confirmed the same in December 2025. Flock disabled the nationwide data sharing tool on February 11, 2025, and Santa Cruz police announced in December that they were opting out of Flock's statewide search tool.
Reported impact
The data sharing violated California state laws that prohibit the use of local resources to assist federal immigration enforcement. Reports from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 404 Media showed that federal immigration authorities had access to data collected by Flock cameras, and that law enforcement agencies used the technology to monitor political demonstrations, with 19 agencies logging searches associated with protests in June and October 2025.
Index analysis
The Electronic Frontier Foundation analysis identified that law enforcement agencies used Flock technology to monitor political demonstrations and targeted known activist groups, demonstrating how mass surveillance technology threatens freedom of demonstration. Privacy advocates have expressed concerns that the information-sharing network threatens personal privacy, and the American Civil Liberties Union has spoken out against Flock Safety since at least 2022.
Governance controls
The University of Arizona Police Department created a policy on October 1, 2025, requiring that national queries of Automated License Plate Readers require prior approval, and that information would only be shared with Arizona law enforcement agencies with existing pre-approval. Santa Cruz Police Department worked with Flock to revise its contract to avoid the misuse of data after discovering the unauthorized sharing.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.