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Alameda County Extends Flock Safety Contract After Sheriff Discloses Unauthorized Searches

The temporary extension preserves sheriff’s access to license‑plate data while giving supervisors time to tighten privacy rules or seek other vendors.

Overview

  • The Alameda County Board voted to extend its contract with Flock Safety following a contentious meeting, a decision reported by local outlets as occurring on Tuesday and described as temporary to allow further review.
  • Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez told supervisors that 140 unauthorized searches of Flock camera data occurred in the past year and said the office cut some interagency links and blocked two agencies in response.
  • Reports differ on the final vote and length of the extension, with outlets variously describing a 3‑2 vote through the end of next year and a 4‑3 vote for an 18‑month term.
  • Flock Safety issued a statement promising stronger safeguards, audit controls, and oversight, while privacy advocates including Secure Justice’s Brian Hofer said they are preparing litigation over past unauthorized access.
  • The dispute highlights a wider tension in California law: recorded law‑enforcement data cannot be shared out of state to limit federal access, and the county must balance the investigative value of ALPR cameras against risks to immigrants and other vulnerable groups and the complexity of regional data sharing.