A citizen-led audit is raising new questions about who has been accessing data collected by Elk Grove's automated license plate reader cameras, with residents alleging the city's system may have been accessed by thousands of out-of-state law enforcement agencies in violation of California law.
The findings, released by the advocacy group Deflock Elk Grove, are based on records obtained through the California Public Records Act. The group says the records show more than 8 million searches of Elk Grove's Flock Safety license plate reader system since 2021.
According to the audit, only about 3% of those searches were conducted by Elk Grove police officers, with the remaining inquiries coming from other law enforcement agencies.
The records also show more than 3,000 out-of-state agencies accessed Elk Grove's license plate data, including agencies in states such as Florida and Maine, as well as federal agencies including the FBI, ATF and U.S. Border Patrol.
Dozens of Flock cameras are mounted along Elk Grove streets, capturing the license plate of each vehicle driving by.
Members of Deflock Elk Grove argue the findings raise concerns about compliance with a California law that generally prohibits automated license plate reader data from being shared with entities outside the state.
"We would like to have the right to privacy in our own city," said Lindsey Halsell, a member of Deflock Elk Grove.
"Either they don't understand how the data are being used, or they are lying to us," Halsell said, adding that the group is concerned the information could be abused.
The Elk Grove Police Department declined an on-camera interview about the audit.
During an Elk Grove City Council meeting in April, Police Chief Bobby Davis assured the city council that precautions were in place to protect privacy.
"We do not share with any federal partners. We will not share with any federal partners," Davis said at the time.
Davis said the cameras are a valuable crime-fighting tool.
"We're able to find resolutions for many victims of assault, many victims of homicide, many victims of all sorts of crimes that have happened in our community," he said.
The police department now says it's doing an internal review and has changed system access and oversight. But members of Deflock Elk Grove are now calling for an independent investigation by the state auditor.
"Our ultimate goal would be to see what's happening with the data and then ideally get Flock out of Elk Grove," Halsell said.
CBS News Sacramento also reached out to Elk Grove's mayor and city manager, but a city spokesperson says it's too premature for them to comment.
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