City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: October 20, 2026
From: Robert Sousa, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Submitted by: Nicholas Perez, Captain
Subject
Master Services Agreement with Flock Group Inc., for Automated License Plate Reader Systems Recommendation
A. Find that it is commercially unreasonable to rebid the proposed agreement with Flock Group Inc., dba Flock Safety (Flock) in three years pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Section
3.32.220(B) given the City’s existing use of the proprietary Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology and enhanced administrative efficiency achieved by combining the lease of all nineteen (19) Flock ALPR systems into one agreement; B. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Master Services Agreement with Flock, in substantially the same form as submitted, for the lease of nineteen (19) ALPR systems for a total amount not-to-exceed $172,702.05, for a 38-month term; and C. Authorize a contingency amount of $5,000, in the event of unforeseen costs, and grant authority to the City Administrator to issue amendments up to the contingency amount, if necessary.
Background
Since 2008, the Police Department (PD) has utilized Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems to enhance enforcement and investigative capabilities, increase officer safety, and expedite the tedious and time-consuming process of manually comparing vehicle license plates with lists of stolen, wanted, and vehicles of interest. The PD’s annual agreement for its five (5) original Flock ALPR systems expired on May 19, 2026. On February 1, 2026, PD added 14 Flock ALPR systems on a separate annual agreement with Flock, totaling 19 ALPR systems. The PD is requesting a 38-month agreement with Flock to combine the leasing of all 19 ALPR systems into one agreement (Attachment 1). The first payment will have a pro rata credit estimated at $34,606.88.
Flock, the City’s current vendor, was found to be the only fully integrated ALPR system that offered lifetime maintenance and support included in one subscription price. Flock is also the only fully integrated ALPR one-stop solution, from the production of the camera to delivery and installation. Additionally, if there is a hardware or software malfunction or failure, Flock will work with the PD to remedy the problem and replace equipment, if necessary, at no cost. Flock’s staff also conducts regular audits of every camera, and each camera has a built-in alarm, which provides alerts when a camera is not performing at optimal standards. In the event of a camera performance issue, Flock will deploy a maintenance team to make the repairs.
Some of the distinguishing features of Flock systems are that they can be installed almost anywhere by leveraging solar and battery for power, and cellular (LTE) for data communication.
Flock’s ALPR system comes with its trademarked and patented Fingerprint Technology that can detect vehicles with no plates, temporary plates, dirty/covered plates, and obtain accurate state detection. Unlike the old generation of ALPR systems, this technology captures and stores whole images in daylight and nighttime conditions, and records additional vehicle attributes such as color, type, make, and objects (roof rack, bumper stickers, etc.) based on image analytics. The ALPR systems also operate on a cloud-based system, removing the need for costly in-house servers.
Staff are aware of nationwide dialogue and questions about ALPR systems and Flock specifically.
PD staff and the City Attorney’s Office made comprehensive updates to the Flock services agreement to address community concerns regarding data usage and privacy protections. The proposed agreement and existing regulations provide the following safeguards:
• The City’s use of ALPR and Flock’s services agreement must at all times comply with applicable state law including California disclosure, privacy, and data protection laws.
Consistent with California Senate Bill 34, enacted in 2015, and applicable law governing ALPR data, the PD does not share ALPR data with any federal agency, including U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or permit its transfer across state lines in violation of California law.
• All data captured by the Flock ALPR systems belongs to the City of Vernon, not Flock. • The PD retains control over who is authorized to access or use the data and may revoke sharing access at any time.
• City ALPR data is retained for only 30 days.
• Flock is prohibited from selling or sharing the City’s data without the City’s consent. • The City has opted out of allowing Flock to use its data to train machine learning models.
The proposed purchase is exempt for competitive bidding and selection pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section 3.32.110(A)(2), which states that competitive bidding shall not be required for contracts for supplies, equipment, or services available from only one vendor or for unique services. A letter from Flock confirming it is the sole developer and provider of its ALPR solution is provided for reference (Attachment 2). Additionally, pursuant to Section 3.32.220(B) of the VMC, all professional services contracts shall be rebid every three years unless found commercially unreasonable. Since the proposed agreement exceeds $100,000, VMC Section
3.32.110(B)(3) indicates that the authority to make this finding rests with City Council. Staff recommends that City Council approve a term exceeding three years given the City’s existing use of the Flock ALPR systems and as combining all the ALPR systems into one agreement will align with the City’s fiscal year and enhance administrative efficiency.
The proposed agreement with Flock requires City Council approval pursuant to VMC Section
3.32.030(A) which states all contracts shall be approved only by the City Council except contracts with a total value over the lifetime of the contract of up to $100,000.00. The cost of the 38-month agreement for 19 ALPR cameras is $172,702.05. The PD is also requesting to authorize a contingency amount of $5,000.00 for unforeseen costs, if necessary, for a total amount not-toexceed $177,702.05.
The City Attorney’s Office has approved the proposed agreement with Flock as to form.
Strategic Plan Goals
Enhance Community Infrastructure and Facilities
Fiscal Impact
Sufficient funds are available in the Information Technology (IT) General Fund, Repairs and Maintenance, Account No. 011-010-110-529110 in an amount not-to-exceed $177,702.05 for a 38-month term, which includes the $5,000.00 contingency amount.
Attachments
1. Flock Agreement (2026-2029)
2. Flock Sole Source Justification