Santa Ana city officials are expected to review their contract for automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology next month, following calls from Councilwoman Jessie Lopez and Councilman Ben Vazquez. This development comes amid increasing resident concerns regarding privacy and the sharing of data collected by the cameras.
On May 6, 2025, the Santa Ana City Council narrowly approved a contract of up to $211,000 for Flock Cameras and an additional contract of nearly $500,000 for installation and maintenance from Motorola. At the time of approval, officials requested the police department provide a presentation on the cameras' effectiveness within a year, a presentation that activists and some elected officials assert has not occurred.
Councilwoman Lopez, who is running for state assembly, confirmed she has requested a review of the city’s Flock contract. She stated that while the language for the review is not yet finalized, it could lead to discussions about ending the contract, pending legal obligations. Lopez’s request follows public records obtained last month indicating a Northern California fusion center conducted searches on Santa Ana’s ALPR system on behalf of multiple federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security. "Our community was promised that their data wasn’t going to be shared, and now we know that it is being shared without their consent, without a warrant, and without their knowledge," Lopez said.
Councilman Vazquez also called for an audit of the Flock contract, emphasizing privacy rights and potential harm to the immigrant community. He distinguished personal cellphone use from city-installed cameras, stating, "Your phone, you bought it; it’s your consent. The city putting cameras up and using them in cars and tracking people and sharing it with the government – that’s a different story."
In Fullerton, city officials are scheduled to hold a public presentation on their use of nearly 20 Flock cameras (17 stationary and two mobile) at the 5:30 p.m. city council meeting on Tuesday. These cameras have been operational since 2021 and have cost the city nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Police officials are expected to detail how the cameras are used and their success in solving crimes. This presentation follows resident questions in August, including those raised by Keiko Suda at the Aug. 18 Fullerton City Council meeting, who expressed concern about data collection and sharing without consent or warrant.
Opponents of the cameras, including Tanya Navarro, organizing director for Chispa, argue that the technology invades privacy and raises worries about tracking innocent residents. Navarro stated at a news conference, "Our community never wanted this. When they approved this technology, they justified it by claiming it would make us safer from criminals. That’s how entire communities become criminalized."
Conversely, some elected politicians and police officials argue the cameras are a crucial tool for law enforcement. Santa Ana Councilman Phil Bacerra, who defended the contract approval, cited safeguards and community demand for the technology. "Here’s a chance for police that are already stretched thin when it comes to the actual human resources aspect to leverage the technology to be able to respond better," Bacerra said at the May 6, 2025 council meeting. He also noted that residents commonly use personal devices that track location and conversations.
Police officials in Fullerton state the cameras are not used for immigration enforcement or tracking individuals, but rather to capture license plates, with data deleted monthly unless used as evidence. Since installation, Fullerton's cameras have reportedly recovered 274 stolen vehicles and located 18 missing people. According to Flock's transparency webpage, Fullerton's cameras detected nearly a million unique vehicles and nearly 5,000 flagged vehicles in the past month. The city's data is accessible to various law enforcement agencies statewide, including the fusion center that accessed Santa Ana data for federal agencies.
In Santa Ana, there are 24 Flock license plate readers that retain data for one year. The system detected over 1.3 million unique vehicles in the past month, according to Flock's transparency page. Mayor Valerie Amezcua, Councilmembers David Penaloza, Thai Viet Phan, Johnathan Hernandez, and Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez did not respond to requests for comment regarding the ALPR system.
This is not the first instance of Orange County cities reviewing ALPR contracts. In neighboring Costa Mesa, officials decided to maintain their Flock contract this summer but directed staff to renegotiate terms regarding data accessibility and collection, following an incident where a police officer misused the devices. The upcoming discussions in Santa Ana and Fullerton highlight ongoing scrutiny regarding the balance between public safety technology and individual privacy rights.
