Yuba County law enforcement says its Flock camera program helps deputies identify vehicles connected to crimes. Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that turn plate and vehicle images into searchable data and generate alerts for listed vehicles.
The Sheriff's Department explained the program during an Aug. 11, 2026, public presentation to the Board of Supervisors, according to the county meeting record. The system can aid investigations, but its use remains subject to local rules and California privacy law.
Table of Contents
- What the cameras collect
- Where Yuba County uses the system
- How deputies use plate data
- What uses are prohibited
- How residents can examine the program
What the cameras collect
The plate-reader cameras photograph license plates and vehicles traveling past fixed locations. Software converts plate characters into computer-readable data that deputies can search or compare with crime databases. The Sheriff's Department says the system does not recognize faces or collect personally identifiable information.
Its transparency portal also says it does not detect people, gender or race. These distinctions narrow what the technology can identify, but they do not make the records anonymous. A readable plate can still connect a vehicle's location and time of travel to its registered owner during an investigation.
Where Yuba County uses the system
Undersheriff Nick Morawcznski told supervisors that the county had 33 Flock plate-reader cameras on public roads in unincorporated areas. It also had five live-feed cameras: two for election security and three near Grays Beach. The department's transparency portal listed 40 cameras in total.
The difference reflects that the system includes more than one camera type, rather than 40 plate readers. Yuba County approved the original agreement in April 2022 to support investigations into vehicle crime. The Sheriff-Coroner's staff report budgeted $79,750 for the first year and $73,500 annually afterward, using a Measure K allocation rather than the General Fund.
How deputies use plate data
Deputies can search earlier detections when investigating a crime. They can also receive real-time alerts when a camera detects a vehicle on a law-enforcement hotlist. The Sheriff's Office requires a person to verify a hotlist match before officers act.
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That safeguard matters because an automated match alone does not establish who is driving, why the vehicle is present or whether a crime occurred. A 30-day portal snapshot reported 280,031 vehicle detections and 478 search sessions. Those figures measure camera and search activity; they do not show how many crimes were solved, arrests made or alerts confirmed.
What uses are prohibited
The Sheriff's Office says personnel may not use Flock data for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment, targeting protected classes or personal purposes. Searches are logged, creating a record that can be reviewed for compliance. California law imposes additional limits.
The California Department of Justice's ALPR guidance says public agencies may share plate-reader information only with another permitted public agency—not private entities or federal or out-of-state agencies. Agencies must also maintain safeguards against unauthorized access and publish usage and privacy policies. They must keep records of system access, although an access log does not itself prove that every search was necessary or properly conducted.
How residents can examine the program
Yuba County says plate information is retained for 30 days. Residents can use the Sheriff's Office transparency portal to review camera totals, stated restrictions, retention rules and a downloadable 30-day search audit.
When reviewing the program, distinguish operational counts from results. Vehicle detections and search sessions show how frequently the system operates, not whether a particular search produced reliable evidence. Residents seeking more detail can: The public audit offers oversight information, but it does not disclose every fact underlying an investigation or explain the outcome of each search.
- Compare the portal's camera count and policies across reporting periods.
- Download the public search audit before its 30-day window changes.
- Review Board of Supervisors agendas for contracts, spending or policy presentations.
- Request relevant public records from the county, understanding that investigative details or protected information may be withheld.
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