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An audit of the use of automatic license plate readers in Elk Grove found that more than 3,600 organizations made more than 8.3 million searches of residents’ data over the last five years, including at least 290 agencies without data-sharing agreements and out-of-state, federal and non-governmental entities.
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Elk Grove’s ALPR technology — a system mounted in fixed locations or on police vehicles that captures license plate data — is provided by Flock Safety. There are approximately 87 ALPR cameras in Elk Grove as of early 2026, according to previous Bee reporting, costing the city $1.6 million in a contract that runs through 2028.
DeFlock Elk Grove, a local advocacy group opposed to ALPR cameras and advocating for privacy, released their findings from public records requests Monday.
The group said its audit found that the Elk Grove Police Department performed about 260,000 of the 8.3 million searches made of Elk Grove residents’ vehicle travel data between 2021 and March 2026 — approximately 3% of the total searches.
The other 97% of searches were made by other agencies, including out-of-state entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and an agency listed as “United States Border Control – Grand Forks Sector MN,” according to the audit.
A 2016 law prohibits sharing data with out-of-state law enforcement and federal agencies, but agencies including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the Sacramento Police Department have been accused of violating the statute.
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The city has signed memorandums of understanding with some law enforcement agencies in compliance with California law to share information, the city’s real-time information center manager Andrea Cortez said at a March 25 City Council meeting, adding there is no “out-of-state data sharing.”
Police Chief Bobby Davis said at the March 25 City Council meeting that settings allowing outside agencies to access Elk Grove data have been disabled.
“We do not share with ICE,” Davis said at the March 25 City Council meeting. “It is not something that we have ever done at the city. There has not been an instance in the history of the Elk Grove Police Department where we have provided ICE any information or provided assistance with any arrest.”
The use of license plate readers by California law enforcement has drawn criticism from those who say data sharing could harm undocumented residents and people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare.
The debate over Flock technology has also extended beyond data sharing.
Roseville police defended the accuracy of the city’s Flock system after Business Insider reported last week that more than 1,000 alerts generated between 2023 and 2024 involved license plate misreads. Roseville officials said none of the incorrect alerts resulted in a traffic stop or arrest because department policy requires officers to independently verify information before taking enforcement action.
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Lindsey Halsell, a spokesperson for DeFlock Elk Grove, said the organization wants the California State Auditor to conduct a formal audit of the use of Flock cameras in the city. The long-term goal, however, is for the city to cancel its contract with Flock Safety and not renew it or contract with a similar vendor, Halsell said.
“Ultimately, we don’t want Flock in our city. We think everyone has a right to privacy,” Halsell said.
Davis said at an April 8 City Council meeting that the Flock cameras are a “tool” for public safety and have been effective for the city.
From March 2021 to March 2026, the city collected 1,548 vehicle alerts through ALPR cameras, and 866 led to arrests, according to Cortez’s report presented to the City Council in March.
During the same period, officers responded to 5,293 calls for service involving ALPR. These include police investigating hit-and-run crashes and using the system to confirm a license plate and direction of travel, Cortez previously said. About 700 of those calls resulted in arrests. The cameras have also been used in 93 missing persons cases, 1,548 hit-and-run cases, 640 reckless driving reports and 536 stolen vehicle reports, according to the report.
The Elk Grove City Council approved an amended contract with Flock Safety in April that extends through 2028, bringing the city’s total cost to more than $1.6 million.
The city has used ALPR technology since 2008 and has used the Flock Safety system since a 2021 pilot program before formally contracting with the company in 2022.
In a statement to The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Elk Grove Police Department said officials are “actively reviewing the claims and contents of this audit and look forward to providing additional context and clarification regarding the reported findings.”
According to the statement, some figures and statements “appear to lack important context or may not fully reflect the broader circumstances” based on the department’s initial review.
“The Elk Grove Police Department remains committed to being responsible stewards of ALPR technology, continuously refining our policies, procedures, and administrative practices, conducting oversight and auditing to ensure appropriate use, and lastly remaining transparent with our community about how this technology is used and the safeguards in place to protect privacy,” the statement read.
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