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City manager: San Bernardino operates 28 Flock license‑plate readers; officials say state law limits federal access
Summary
City manager reported that 28 Flock license‑plate readers are in use, data are stored for 30 days, and under state law the city does not share plate‑reader data with federal immigration agencies; the update prompted public concern about vendor data‑sharing practices.
The San Bernardino city manager briefed the council on March 18 about the city's use of automated license‑plate readers (LPRs) provided by Flock. According to the manager, the city operates 28 cameras that capture license plates and vehicle features; collected data are stored for 30 days. The manager said the cameras do not perform facial recognition and cannot determine driver characteristics such as gender or race.
The manager said LPR data are shared with California law‑enforcement partners under the terms of the city's agreement and that, under California law, data cannot be shared with federal immigration agencies. “Under California state law, data cannot be shared with federal immigration agencies,” the manager said, and added that residents can view Flock statistics on the San Bernardino Police Department website.
Several public commenters and council members raised concerns about whether the vendor or third parties might share data outside the city's control. Councilmember Bar relayed community concerns: “Apparently it's the company that's sharing information to federal agents. It's not our city, it's not our PD,” she said, asking staff to confirm the city's control and data‑sharing protections.
Staff and the manager said the city retains the data and that sharing is controlled by contract terms; police staff present explained that data sharing to outside agencies would be governed by agreements and by law enforcement purpose and procedures. The manager said the PD uses the cameras to help solve crimes and reported that LPR analytics assisted the department in solving several homicides and dozens of other cases last year.
Next steps: Council asked staff to provide further detail on contractual protections and data‑sharing arrangements with the vendor and with partner agencies, and to invite police to provide technical clarification in a follow‑up briefing.
