Overview
- SFPD said a routine compliance audit in May uncovered 299 improper queries over about a year and the department publicly disclosed the findings on Wednesday.
- Those searches were run through the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center by analysts from the Western States Information Network who queried San Francisco’s Flock automated license‑plate reader system on behalf of out‑of‑state and federal agencies.
- Police identified some federal requesters, including the DEA, IRS and ATF, and said the queries related to serious crimes such as homicide, child sexual abuse and drug or gun trafficking.
- Chief Derrick Lew immediately revoked NCRIC and WSIN access to the city’s Flock network and opened an internal review while notifying city oversight bodies about the issue.
- The case highlights how fusion centers and third‑party intermediaries can bypass California’s 2015 law limiting ALPR data sharing and has renewed lawsuits, watchdog probes and calls for wider agency reviews.