Elk Grove Police Defend Flock Surveillance Contract as Annual Crime Report Shows Mixed Results

Elk Grove crime dropped 2% in 2025, yet homicides rose. Discover how the city uses Flock license plate readers despite growing privacy concerns from residents.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 28, 2026, 9:18 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Sacramento Bee

Public Resistance to Automated Surveillance Contracts

Tensions rose during a recent Elk Grove City Council meeting as residents demanded the termination of the city,s contract with Flock, a prominent provider of automatic license plate reader technology. Critics expressed significant alarm over potential data security breaches, citing instances in other California cities where similar systems allowed out of state agencies to access sensitive information. Community members argued that such vulnerabilities could jeopardize undocumented residents or individuals seeking specific healthcare services, urging the council to seek alternative vendors with more rigorous privacy safeguards.

Police Department Transparency on Data Sharing Protocols

Chief of Police Bobby Davis and Real Time Information Center Manager Andrea Cortez moved to reassure the public by detailing the department,s strict data governance. According to Cortez, the city operates 87 fixed and mobile readers but limits data storage to a 30 day window. Chief Davis emphasized that Elk Grove has never shared surveillance data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, maintaining that settings allowing outside access are disabled. The department insisted that its information sharing is strictly confined to California law enforcement entities governed by formal memorandums of understanding.

Analyzing the Efficacy of License Plate Technology

The department provided concrete metrics to justify the continued use of the Flock system, which has been in place since a 2021 trial. According to the city,s report, the technology has generated 1,548 alerts on specific vehicles since March 2021, leading directly to 866 arrests. Beyond criminal apprehensions, the cameras played a role in 93 missing persons cases and 536 stolen vehicle recoveries. Officials argued that the system serves as a force multiplier for a department currently managing a 11% increase in total arrests compared to the previous year.