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Resident tells Woodland council police are sharing license‑plate reader data without vetting
Summary
A Woodland resident told council the Woodland Police Department is automatically sharing license‑plate‑reader data with hundreds of organizations, often without review and sometimes labeled as out‑of‑state or federal requests; the resident urged immediate changes to the Flock sharing settings to protect privacy.
At the start of public comment on April 7, Woodland resident Shoneyce Lambeau (speaker 6) told the City Council she obtained records showing that the Woodland Police Department has been sharing license‑plate‑reader (LPR) data widely and without adequate review.
"Woodland PD is still indiscriminately sharing our license plate reader data with hundreds of organizations across California and not doing any vetting of the requests," Lambeau said. She said that March records show "an average of 1 request every day" that are sometimes labeled as on behalf of out‑of‑state or federal agencies, which she said contravenes California law. Lambeau also said the department’s internal processes were not being followed and that the vendor settings could be changed immediately to stop automatic statewide sharing.
Lambeau told the council she previously raised the issue and heard from the department that it planned to rewrite its policy so it would no longer be required to reject questionable requests. She urged the council to instruct staff to reconfigure the Flock system’s sharing settings and to revoke access that is currently granted by default.
The council did not take action on the record during the meeting and no Woodland Police Department representative provided a response to Lambeau’s specific allegations at the public‑comment time. The meeting packet included at least two emailed public comments on the LPR issue that the clerk said were copied to the council.
The council’s later agenda included public safety proclamations and remarks by police and fire leadership about volunteers and dispatchers, but no staff presentation or formal response addressing the specifics of the LPR disclosure allegations was recorded in the meeting minutes.
The council may consider the matter in future communications or through the city’s public‑records and police oversight channels; residents wishing to follow up should contact the city clerk’s office for the record of public comments and any subsequent agenda items.
