EL CERRITO — An audit by police into how license plate readers in the city have been used and who has gained access to them has revealed that more than one federal agency tapped into the network to gain car owners’ information.
In a statement released Thursday, El Cerrito police said the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the GSA Office of the Inspector General, and the National Parks Service all were able to search license plate photographs that were taken by license plate readers (LPR’s) in the city. Police said the access came between June 2023, when the cameras were first installed, and August 2023, when El Cerrito police took administrative control of them.
The department also said the U.S. Postal System had access to the license plate information between September and November of 2023, and that the Loma Linda Healthcare System Veteran Affairs Police had access for two days in May 2025.
The acknowledgement by police came amid privacy concerns about automated LPRs and similar technologies in Bay Area cities. Like many cities in the Bay Area, El Cerrito has a contract with Flock Safety to provide its LPR systems.
“We at the El Cerrito Police Department regret that our license plate photographs were available to out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies,” the department said in a statement. “We have been satisfied with the response from Flock Safety and the safeguards and changes they have instituted to keep our data secure from unauthorized access.”
But some Bay Area cities and counties already have decided that the Flock Safety tools are too overreaching.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors announced Thursday that the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office can no longer use the readers in the West Valley communities of Cupertino and Saratoga. On Tuesday, the Mountain View City Council voted unanimously to to terminate its LPR contract with Flock Safety. In December, the city of Richmond police suspended their use of the system, because other law enforcement agencies had gained access to camera information.
In their statement, El Cerrito police touted the LPR’s as an “early warning system for wanted cars as well as an investigative aid in the aftermath of a crime. These cameras take photographs of the rear vehicles and read the license plate. The system does not search or contain information about the drivers or owners of photographed vehicles.”
El Cerrito police said they do share data with other California law enforcement agencies, including state, county and municipal agencies. But they added that the U.S. Postal System had access to the license plate information between September and November of 2023, and that the Loma Linda Healthcare System Veteran Affairs Police had access for two days in May 2025.
According to police, Flock safety representatives told them the U.S. Postal Service showed up in state-only searches because of early settings created by the company and that those settings have been fixed. Police said Flock also explained that the system may have misidentified the Loma Linda Healthcare System Veterans Affairs Police as a state agency.
“Based on this review, no federal immigration agencies searched ECPD LPR records,” the department said. “Flock Satety has instituted additional safeguards to prevent recurrences of these incidents.”
Flock Safety did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment early Friday.
Police said they will hold a public meeting to discuss the situation and answer questions from residents. The meeting will be held March 10 at 4 p.m. at Hana Gardens Community Room at 10870 San Pablo Ave.
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