Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Law Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
El Cerrito police report audit finds limited federal access to license-plate reader data; public meeting, contract renewal set
Summary
Police Chief Paul Keith told the council an audit of the city’s Flock Safety license-plate reader system found early installations defaulted to broader sharing (including some federal and out‑of‑state accounts) but that sharing was restricted after August 2023; the department will hold a public meeting March 10 and return to council for contract renewal April 21, 2026.
Police Chief Paul Keith reported to the El Cerrito City Council that a department audit of its Flock Safety license-plate reader (LPR) system found two limited federal searches after the city tightened sharing controls, and a broader set of out‑of‑state and federal accesses during the system’s initial installation period.
“The system takes photographs of the back of cars, reads the license plate, records date, time and location, and retains data for a 30‑day period,” Chief Paul Keith said in his presentation. He told council there are 40 cameras around the city and described the system’s dual purposes: early alerts for wanted vehicles and investigative searches after crimes.
Keith said the council originally approved the system in March 2023, installations began in June 2023, and the police department began administrative control in August 2023. His audit found that when Flock began installing cameras the default configuration allowed data sharing outside California, including some federal access. “When we took control of the account in August 2023, we set sharing guidelines that did not include out‑of‑state or federal agencies,” he said.
Keith said the audit identified four federal agencies with access during the initial installation period (the FBI, ATF, National Park Service and GSA) but that after the August 2023 account control changes the department found no out‑of‑state sharing and only two instances of federal access: one period in 2023 by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and two searches in May 2025 by the Loma Linda Health System police, which the chief described as a human‑entry error.
Chief Keith said he had discussed the Loma Linda searches with that agency’s chief of police and reported the VA used its access for patient and staff safety rather than immigration enforcement. “We did not find any instances of federal immigration agencies using the system,” he said.
The chief credited the system with helping solve several major cases, including a 2023 homicide, a 2024 fatal hit‑and‑run, and a 2025 home‑invasion case, and said the department plans to conduct monthly audits going forward. He announced a public meeting on March 10 at Hannah Gardens for residents to ask questions, and told council Flock representatives are expected to attend an April 21 meeting when the department brings a contract renewal to council.
Council members pressed the chief about how other cities experienced sharing problems and whether the same software settings could cause new leaks. Keith explained a distinction between a “robust search” (which includes make/model/color queries) and a “basic search” (an exact license‑plate query), and said earlier versions and less user‑friendly settings could lead to accidental broader sharing. He said Flock has added identifiers that flag federal agencies and that the company has tightened controls in recent releases.
Chief Keith said the department will consult the city attorney about what audit material can be published while protecting law‑enforcement‑sensitive information. “Our new practice is going to be monthly audits of the system,” he said.
The council did not take a vote on the LPR program at the meeting; staff will bring a contract renewal and a public‑engagement report back to council on April 21, 2026.
