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Sheriff's lieutenant responds to resident concerns about Flock cameras, says access is limited and system is audited
Summary
Residents raised privacy concerns about Flock cameras and alleged data sharing; Lieutenant Jason Doolittle told the council access is 'need to know,' retention is 30 days for non-evidence footage, the system is audited monthly, and Flock does not perform AI facial recognition, he said.
A Loomis council member relayed resident concerns Monday that Flock license-plate-camera data were being used beyond intended purposes, including an anecdote and a social-media screenshot showing cameras being removed.
Lieutenant Jason Doolittle of the sheriff's office responded with operational details and reassurances. He said Flock access follows a "need-to-know" policy, is audited monthly to detect unauthorized access, and that the agency's retention policy is 30 days unless footage is booked into evidence for a crime. "Flock is not capable of that nor is Flock capable of doing AI facial recognition," Doolittle said, adding that devices other agencies use for cell-phone "tower" functionality are not part of the local Flock deployment.
Doolittle also described enforcement priorities and outreach: deputies logged 477 calls for service in June, with work continuing on e-bike enforcement and a multi-agency e-bike presentation scheduled for July 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. He noted a modest number of crimes against persons in the month and said OTS grant enforcement funds have been used for traffic and DUI enforcement in Loomis and Colfax.
Council members asked about the town's ability to regulate e-bikes (the town currently has no e-bike ordinance) and about potential presentations from the sheriff or Flock personnel. Doolittle said the sheriff's lieutenant in charge of Flock is preparing information for future discussion.
Why it matters: The exchange brought an operational update and added transparency about data retention, auditing and the limits of local technology. Residents asked for more public information; council members signaled interest in scheduling a formal presentation for community education.
