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Ventura County Sheriff's Office
Friday February 27th, 2026 :: 05:05 p.m. PST

Community

Flock Safety Automated License Plate Readers and Data Security

Nature of Incident: Flock Safety Automated License Plate Readers and Data Security
Date: February 27, 2026
Narrative:
 
As your elected Sheriff, I am committed to transparency, accountability, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve.  This statement is intended to provide an explanation regarding our agency’s use of Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology and the findings of a recent audit of Flock system data. 
The Sheriff’s Office has been utilizing ALPR technology for nearly a decade. ALPRs capture vehicle-related images, including an image of the vehicle’s license plate.  This information is used for legitimate law enforcement investigations and public safety operations.  Our Flock ALPR data is stored in an encrypted cloud environment for one year before it is deleted. 
State law prohibits California law enforcement agencies from sharing ALPR data with out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies. California law also limits cooperation between California law enforcement agencies and federal law enforcement agencies as it pertains to immigration enforcement, with few exceptions as outlined in Senate Bill 54. 
To comply with state law, in June of 2023 we disabled Flock’s “National Lookup” feature.  This feature allowed participating law enforcement agencies throughout the country the ability to search ALPR data of other participating agencies.  Flock estimates that 75% of their 5,000 law enforcement customers throughout the nation participate in “National Lookup.”  By disabling this feature, we ensured that our data was only searchable by California law enforcement agencies.
ALPR technology has proven to be an invaluable investigative tool. It has assisted law enforcement in:
  • Locating suspect vehicles in homicide, robbery, burglary, and organized retail theft investigations
  • Locating and recovering stolen vehicles
  • Finding vehicles associated with missing persons, Silver Alerts, and Amber Alerts
  • Investigating hit-and-run auto collisions
  • Identifying vehicles connected to violent crimes
  • Enhancing officer safety during active and high-risk incidents (such as an active shooter)
Since implementing ALPR technology, our agency has experienced numerous investigative successes.  A few are highlighted below:
  • The Sheriff’s Office utilized ALPRs (including Flock readers) to assist in recovering 38 stolen vehicles in 2024 and 46 stolen vehicles in 2025.  Many arrests were made associated with the vehicle thefts over this time frame.   
  • On July 1, 2024, suspects used stolen vehicles to burglarize a Camarillo gun store, stealing 63 firearms.  Flock readers linked a suspect vehicle between Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, leading to the identification of six suspects from Riverside and Las Vegas.  Working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, authorities arrested the group, clearing a nine-month spree involving nine different gun store burglaries and 300 stolen firearms.
  • On January 1, 2025, multiple semi-trailers and tractors, including loads stolen from Harbor Freight in Camarillo, were taken across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.  Flock readers tracked the stolen trailers, enabling detectives to identify suspects, secure search warrants, make arrests, and recover $1.5 million in stolen merchandise.
  • On July 2, 2025, a woman was followed from her bank to her workplace in Moorpark in an attempted theft.  Deputies obtained a partial license plate from the victim.  Sheriff’s Dispatch – Advanced Real Time Information Center (ARTIC) used ALPR data to identify the suspect vehicle and confirmed a hit in Simi Valley, allowing investigators to quickly locate and detain both suspects.  The suspects were positively identified and arrested, and a search of the vehicle uncovered a large amount of cash and evidence linked to additional follow home theft cases, demonstrating the critical role ALPR played in the successful resolution.
  • On November 25, 2025, multiple reports of gunshots and screaming led deputies to respond to a confirmed shooting into a residence in Nyeland Acres.  Witnesses reported the suspects fled in a dark-colored Nissan Altima and used a rifle.  Dispatch provided critical ALPR data identifying the suspect vehicle in Camarillo.  Deputies located the vehicle shortly after and arrested one adult and four juveniles.  A modified AR-15 style rifle was recovered.   
  • On January 10, 2026, deputies received a Flock hit on a vehicle driven by a known probationer and located it parked at a shooting range in Piru.  A records check confirmed the driver was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.  Because of the ALPR hit, the suspect was arrested on several firearms related charges. 
  • On January 25, 2026, after a jewelry theft in Moorpark, the suspect fled in a red Dodge Challenger, colliding with several parked vehicles.  An off-duty deputy who witnessed the event provided the license plate, and ARTIC leveraged Flock data to track the vehicle’s movement through Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and into Camarillo.  Deputies located the vehicle and arrested two suspects for theft-related charges, conspiracy, and hit and run.  The stolen jewelry was recovered and returned to the victim. 
  • On January 31, 2026, a witness in a homicide investigation provided specific details about a vehicle connected to the suspect.  A search of ALPR data helped to identify the complete license plate number of the vehicle within 8 minutes of the call to dispatch.  The information allowed law enforcement to quickly locate the vehicle and bring the search for the suspect to an end.
 
These are just a few examples of how the use of ALPRs keep Ventura County residents safe.  These systems enable us to quickly develop investigative leads that would not otherwise exist, significantly improving our ability to prevent crime, solve cases, and protect victims and the public.  The safety of our residents is our highest priority. 
Earlier this month, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office learned that some California law enforcement agencies discovered an error by Flock that caused their “National Lookup” feature to turn on without explanation and without notification to the agency.  Those agencies reported that their ALPR data became searchable by out of state law enforcement agencies, including federal law enforcement agencies. 
As a result, our agency conducted an audit of our ALPR data on February 11, 2026.  The purpose of this audit was to confirm that our ALPR data had not been accessed or shared by law enforcement agencies outside of California.
The audit revealed that despite the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office disabling “National Lookup” in June of 2023 to comply with state law, from February 19, 2025, through March 19, 2025, Flock’s error allowed law enforcement agencies from outside the state of California to query our data without our knowledge or approval just over 364,000 times. 
The audit further revealed that 299 search justifications entered into the system referenced immigration enforcement. This was done by both federal and local agencies outside California, accounting for a total of 0.08%, or less than 1/10 of 1 percent of all searches. 
Upon discovery of the audit results, our agency immediately engaged with Flock representatives, who told us that other agencies experienced similar issues.  Flock further advised that due to limitations in technical logging, it was impossible to determine the specific cause.  They provided three possible explanations for how our data became searchable nationwide from February 19, 2025, through March 19, 2025:
  1. One of our agency’s administrators activated a nationwide lookup feature that would allow out-of-state agencies to access our data.
  2. A Flock employee activated the nationwide lookup feature.
  3. A system bug automatically activated the nationwide lookup feature.
Regarding bullet point one, we conducted an internal investigation and determined that no one from our agency activated the national lookup feature.
We learned that on or about March 19, 2025, Flock made a company-wide decision to remove the ability for any California law enforcement agency to activate the national lookup feature, which potentially explains why our data was shared for only one month.  According to Flock, this was done to ensure compliance with California law.
Flock was unable to determine if any of the out of state queries matched images captured by our ALPRs, but only stated that our data was accessible to out of state or federal agencies and not specifically targeted by out of state or federal agencies.  To be clear, we do not know if any out of state law enforcement agencies or federal law enforcement agencies received any images or information captured by our license plate readers.
Effective immediately, we have implemented enhanced internal safeguards, including daily audits conducted by our agency to independently verify system settings and access logs. 
Flock has made internal improvements to their system to prevent this from occurring again.  This includes reassurances that Flock does not have any contracts with ICE or any sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security.  Flock has blocked federal agencies from engaging in any data sharing relationships with California law enforcement agencies.  Flock verified that no California law enforcement agencies have the option to have their data searched by or shared with any law enforcement agency outside the state, including with federal agencies.  Flock initiated features that automatically block any searches of data that use immigration related terms as a justification for the search.
Additionally, to ensure full transparency and secure the most reliable and compliant technology available, our agency will explore alternative ALPR vendors. This process will allow us to evaluate all available vendors and ensure that whichever system we utilize moving forward provides the highest standards of security, accountability, and functionality. 
ALPR technology remains a powerful and critical tool in combating crime and protecting our communities.  Its value in identifying suspects, recovering stolen vehicles, locating missing people, and solving serious and violent crimes cannot be overstated. 
However, public trust is equally critical.  It is the cornerstone of effective law enforcement.  It is essential to community safety, accountability, and legitimacy.  We are committed to maintaining that trust through transparency and our responsible use of technology.
 
Prepared by: Sheriff Jim Fryhoff  
News Release Date: February 27, 2026  
Media Follow-Up Contact: Commander Eric Tennessen (805) 797-7102  

Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511

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