June 1, 2026
Study Session:
Flock Automated
License Plate
Recognition (ALPR)
Technology
www.PaloAlto.gov
Flock ALPR – Study Session
• ALPR Overview
• PAPD Use
• Legal Considerations
• Flock Timeline
• Flock Updates
• PAPD Updates
• Regional Use of Flock
• Contract Status
• Independent Police Auditor Report
2 Flock ALPR Overview – What is it?
3 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR)
technology uses a combination of cameras and
computer software to scan the license plates of passing vehicles.
These computer-readable images allow law
enforcement to compare plate numbers against plates
of wanted vehicles and vehicles associated with wanted
persons, missing persons, etc.
Flock ALPR Overview – What Information is Captured?
• A fixed ALPR system is designed to capture:
• license plate;
• vehicle characteristics;
• the date, time, and location
• Fixed ALPR cameras placed in high-volume traffic
areas, with an emphasis on ingress and egress
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Flock ALPR Overview– What Information Is Not Captured?
• PAPD has located and oriented its ALPR cameras
specifically to capture images of rear license
plates, not vehicle occupants or pedestrians
• The Flock Falcon ALPR system does not capture
the name, address or personal information of the
owner or occupants
• According to Flock and our experience with
the system the Flock Falcon ALPR system does not use
facial recognition or log human characteristics (e.g.,
age, race, gender)
5 Flock ALPR Overview– Uses & Benefits
BENEFITS
✓ Real-time Alerts
✓ Deterrence
✓ Increased Efficiency
✓ Force-multiplier
✓ Solve Crimes Already
Committed
✓ Regional Coordination
✓ Network Effect
USES
• Proactive real-time alerts
• Reactive (Investigative)
• Searchable database
• Overlay data with
sharing agencies
6 PAPD Use of Flock - Successes
Criminal Cases
• Located and arrested suspects in Palo
Alto and East Palo Alto armed robberies
• Located and arrested suspect in shooting
homicide in another Bay Area city
• Identified, located and arrested suspects
responsible for dozens of burglaries in
multiple bay area cities (including
multiple overnight, occupied residential
burglaries in Palo Alto)
• Intercepted numerous known organized
retail theft suspects en route to our
commercial areas.
Non-criminal Cases
• Safely located multiple missing,
endangered seniors with cognitive issues
• Safely located a missing, suicidal teen
Statistics
• 130+ cases where Flock data has played
an important role since 2024
• 13% reduction in residential burglaries
2025-2026 YTD
• 24% reduction in auto burglaries 2025-
2026 YTD
• 27% reduction in total thefts annually (in
dollars) since 2024; 64% since 2023
7 ALPR – Legal Considerations
Palo Alto Municipal Code
• Council approved Surveillance Use Policy
specific to Flock ALPR
State Law
• Prohibits out of state sharing
• Criminal penalties for unauthorized access or
use
8 ALPR – Surveillance Use Policy Components
Access
• Need to know and right to know only;
• Individual log-in (with dual authentication) and
purpose required;
• Agency controls with whom data is shared;
• Local law enforcement only
• Via individual MOU
Data Retention
• Automatically purged after 30
days
Auditing
• Queries logged and auditable
• Compliance officer
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Flock ALPR – Timeline
• April-November 2023 – First PAPD Flock cameras (20) installed • Mid-2023 – Flock activated a “Nationwide Lookup” feature for all customers • feature allowed users to search a combined dataset of all agency users and 6000+ cameras • Only full 7-digit license plates could be searched (e.g., no partial plates or vehicle descriptions)
• Did not allow targeted searches of any specific agency • October 2024 – Flock disabled Nationwide Lookup feature for PAPD (all CA users disabled by early 2025)
• January-March 2025 – (10) Additional PAPD Flock cameras installed • December 2025 – PAPD first learned of activation of Nationwide Lookup feature 10 1
Flock ALPR – Nationwide Lookup Impact
• PAPD data was included in overall nationwide dataset
• No PAPD data was received by any out of state or federal agency • PAPD review of network audit logs showed:
• No searches performed by ICE, CBP , or DHS for any purpose • No searches by any agency appear to be associated with immigration or reproductive care enforcement
• No targeted searches of Palo Alto data by out of state or federal agencies • No searches by out of state or federal agencies after feature was disabled in October 2024
11 • Increased staffing and resources, with emphasis on state-specific legal compliance • Improved search audit functionality (e.g., ease of use, customization) • Improved product update communication
• User setting updates logged and communicated to customer • Added Restrictions
• Disabling the “Nationwide Lookup” feature for all California agencies • Prohibiting any sharing agreements as between California and non -California agencies • Filtering and blocking, by keyword, prohibited searches involving immigration or reproductive healthcare
• Requiring a documented FBI NIBRS case type for all searches Updates to Flock Policies, Procedures, and Features
12 • Augmented organization (PAPD user) audits with network (outside agency user) audits • Increased frequency of audits (monthly versus quarterly) • Only local agency to publish:
• Monthly organization and network audits
• All historical organization and network audits (2023-present) Updates to PAPD Auditing and Transparency
13 • More than 300 law enforcement agencies in California currently use Flock. No other fixed ALPR vendor has any significant market share.
• Since 2025, 9 CA agencies (3% of CA agency users) have discontinued use of Flock. • Nearly every Santa Clara County and Bay Area law enforcement agency currently uses Flock ALPR cameras
• Numerous Bay Area cities have recently re-examined their use of Flock • Councils in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and Berkeley have voted to continue their use of Flock. • Santa Clara, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, Campbell, Milpitas, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Menlo Park, Atherton, and Redwood City have continued their use without disruption. • Mountain View, Los Altos Hills, and Santa Cruz have discontinued use • Santa Clara County halted a planned Flock deployment
Regional Use of Flock
14 Santa Clara County
Use of Flock
Agency ALPR Flock
Campbell PD ✓ ✓
Gilroy PD ✓ ✓
Los Altos PD ✓ ✓
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno PD ✓ ✓
Milpitas PD ✓ ✓
Morgan Hill PD ✓ ✓
Mountain View PD No No
Palo Alto PD ✓ ✓
San Jose PD ✓ ✓
Santa Clara PD ✓ ✓
Santa Clara County Sheriff No No*
Sunnyvale DPS ✓ ✓
15 *Never had Flock cameras
Flock ALPR – Current Contract Status
• 5-year contract with Flock Safety (thru December 6, 2029) • Total estimated remaining costs of deployment:
• $93,500 annually in FY 27, FY28, FY29
• One-third of costs in FY27 and FY28 covered by Organized Retail Theft grant funding • Termination Options
• Termination-for-convenience with: 30 days notice, $500/camera removal fee,Prorated balance of subscription cost refunded
• Termination for cause:Notice and opportunity to remedy alleged breach 16 • Flock has assured staff that it will fully cooperate with any audit and has consistently inquired re the status of the city’s audit since first discussed in January • City auditor unable to perform audit due to perception of conflict • Independent Police Auditor (OIR Group) to produce a report containing:
• an operational assessment of Flock’s policies and procedures around security, transparency, sharing compliance, and reporting of system features and changes • an assessment of PAPD’s internal policies and procedures with an eye toward areas where it may be able to do better
Flock ALPR – IPA Report
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