As Fresno police make thousands of searches of Flock camera data each month, the audit to determine compliance only looks at three searches. This comes as cities statewide have dropped the surveillance technology for violating contracts and sharing data nationwide.

Later this year, the Fresno City Council will decide whether to renew the contract for Automated License Plate Readers, taking on not only the cost for the cameras and service, but also recently legitimized fears of privacy violations by the company.

Whether leaders will have the full picture about the security of data collected by the cameras is unclear if they are given the same audit reports GV Wire acquired through public records requests.

This year, cities have dropped Flock agreements after police departments discovered through internal audits that the company violated the terms of their contracts, giving out information to unauthorized users, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many police departments were unaware until recently that violations had occurred.

Some police departments also willingly shared information with out-of-state users.

Audit reports from the Fresno Police Department acquired by GV Wire say usage has been compliant. However, the department’s audit process appears limited, only looking at three randomly selected searches in a specific time period.

Fresno Police have declined to explain to GV Wire in detail the department’s audit process.

Residents Sound Off in Community Forum

At a community forum Monday night, members of the public overwhelmingly spoke against the cameras.

“The more you look around and know what a Flock camera is, the more you will see them,” Fresno resident Russ Piggott told GV Wire. “And now, I recognize I can’t leave my community without being tracked in some way, shape, or form. And i just want to be able to have freedom of movement in my own community without being tracked.”

Flock Data Not Shared With ICE: Casto

Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said at a news conference last week that Fresno police have not shared data with ICE and that any sharing with federal enforcement would violate not only the contract but also state law.

She said Flock doesn’t employ facial recognition and data is only stored for 30 days.

Four months after GV Wire filed its public records requests, the city of Fresno has stalled on delivering requested Flock data, including metadata showing where files have gone.

The records that police have given to GV Wire also show broad lapses in oversight.

Police audits over a one-month period between Sept. 14, 2025, and Oct. 13, 2025, show that Automated License Plate Readers scanned more than 21 million license plates. Officers conducted 8,318 searches in that period, and there were 506 active users of the system.

Those numbers align with audits conducted with previous months.

Despite that volume, the audit consists of choosing 100 searches and then randomly selecting three searches to analyze.

With that audit, Fresno police concluded that “department members complied with department policy using the Flock Safety LPR system.”

The city of El Cerrito did a technical search, however, and didn’t like what it found. The Richmond Standard reported in June that police discovery of a configuration error enabled them to learn federal and out-of-state agencies had unauthorized access to local data.

Fresno Police Stand By Flock Usage

Fresno police first signed on with Flock in 2023 after a grant paid for 70 cameras and surveillance service for a three-year period.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said that the city would have to pay for Flock out of the general fund if it decides to renew the contract.

The police, however, stand by the camera’s effectiveness in reducing crime.

Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto said last week that she would recommend renewing the contract to the city council as data from the cameras contributed evidence to 71% of murders solved and 39% of shootings.

She said data gets used for violent crime investigations and auto thefts. She offered the example of Flock aiding in the solving of a 2024 kidnapping of a small child. Casto also credited the cameras with helping to reduce crime of other kinds.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have reduction (of crime) year-over-year, and what is responsible for that?” Casto said. “A lot of it is technology, and Flock is not the sole reason, but it is a big part of that.”

Santa Cruz, LA, El Cerrito Drop Flock After Violations

Audits were how police departments discovered noncompliance by Flock. A class action lawsuit against Flock filed in April details the violations.

“Extensive investigations have concluded that Flock connected California customers’ networks to the National Lookup tool and that some California agencies were themselves unaware that Flock was allowing their ALPR databases to be used in violation of the ALPR Privacy Act,” the lawsuit alleges.

Using media reports throughout the state, the lawsuit alleges Flock violated state law by allowing federal law enforcement, including ICE, to access camera data through the company’s National Lookup Tool, which it had sometimes activated without police knowledge.

Bernie Escalante, police chief in Santa Cruz, told media that “the department learned only recently that Flock’s ‘national search tool’ had been activated in a way that improperly allowed out-of-state law enforcement agencies to search camera data from across the entire Flock network.”

Santa Cruz became the first city to drop Flock, terminating its contract in January. On July 11, the Los Angeles Police Department ended its Flock contract.

Richmond, Mountain View, El Cerrito, and Los Altos have all reported privacy violations.

Calls to police departments in those cities were not returned. Representatives from the El Cerrito Police Department declined to explain in depth the audit process that revealed the violations.

Flock’s Statement to GV Wire

A Flock representative told GV Wire that the company values privacy and the terms of its contracts with cities. Here is the company’s statement:

“We are aware of the recently-filed complaint in California and are reviewing it carefully.

“Flock takes privacy, legal compliance, and data security extremely seriously. We are committed to helping communities and law enforcement agencies use technology responsibly and in compliance with applicable law.

“Across California,” Flock has been an invaluable tool in helping solve and deter crime, supporting investigations, and promoting public safety for residents and communities.

“Flock intends to vigorously defend itself against the asserted claims and allegations. Because this matter involves pending litigation, Flock will not comment further on the specifics of the case at this time.”