Huntington Beach Police Department has installed automated license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras across the city. They photograph every car that passes — logged into a searchable, nationwide database, whether or not you've done anything wrong. Here's what we know, what we don't yet, and how to get answers before the August 18 City Council meeting.
Community-reported ALPR locations for Huntington Beach are tracked on DeFlock's live map. If you spot a camera that isn't listed, add it — every confirmed location makes the count harder for the city to dismiss.
View the live map ↗State law (Civil Code §1798.90.5, SB 34) requires any agency operating ALPRs to publish a usage policy and bars sharing plate data with agencies outside California without a warrant. A 2023 Attorney General bulletin explicitly warned agencies not to share ALPR data with federal immigration enforcement.
Nationally, Flock's network has already been used by ICE to search for and track people without a warrant — the exact scenario California's law exists to prevent.
Publicly disclosed municipal Flock contracts typically run $2,000–$3,000 per camera, per year — meaning a city-wide network can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually before renewal.
Independent reporting on cities with extensive ALPR deployments has found no clear evidence that camera networks like this meaningfully improve case-clearance rates.
A U.S. Senate investigation (Sen. Ron Wyden) found Flock did not require multi-factor authentication on accounts, that dozens of customer passwords were exposed in breaches, and that camera admin dashboards were at times publicly accessible.
Separately, individual officers around the country have been caught misusing ALPR access to track romantic partners and, in at least one documented case, to search for a person who had obtained an abortion.
California law requires a public agency to provide an opportunity for public comment at a regular meeting before implementing an ALPR program. We're seeking confirmation of what process, if any, Huntington Beach followed — check the city's Legistar archive with us.
Meanwhile, a growing list of California cities — Santa Cruz, Mountain View, Los Altos Hills, Oakland — have already reversed course after resident pressure. Los Angeles let its Flock contract lapse.
Those audits are what turn "this feels concerning" into "here's exactly how many times out-of-state and federal agencies searched our residents' plates." We can get the same thing for Huntington Beach through a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request to HBPD. The city has 10 calendar days to respond to an initial request (extendable by 14 days for complex requests).
Copy the CPRA template below and submit it to HBPD Records / the City Clerk (see submission info under the template).
Once logs arrive, we'll analyze search counts, requesting agencies, and stated "reasons" the same way the Auburn and Nevada County groups did.
Publish what we find here — with sources — so residents and Council have the real numbers before any renewal vote.
Submit via the city's Public Records portal. Confirm the correct HBPD records contact before sending — city procedures can change.
A growing list of California cities have already done this. Huntington Beach residents deserve the same choice, made in the open — not buried in a consent calendar.
Residents can't evaluate a program they can't see. We're requesting the same search-log transparency that led other California cities to act.
If the city considers any future ALPR, facial recognition, or similar system, it should come to Council in a public hearing — not get folded into a routine agenda item.
Council Chambers, 2000 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Open session begins 6:00 PM · Public Comments are near the start of the meeting · 3 minutes maximum per speaker
⚠ Flock isn't currently on the agenda, so the Council can't vote that night — the goal is to get them to agendize a real vote for a future meeting. See "Don't know what to say?" below.
Flock isn't a posted agenda item, and under California's open meetings law (the Brown Act), the Council can't deliberate or vote on anything that isn't agendized. The real goal on 8/18 is to force a future vote — get enough council members on record asking staff to bring the Flock contract back as a real agenda item. Every script below is built around that ask, plus three things that build the case for it:
Direct staff to agendize a review of the Flock contract at an upcoming meeting.
Check the contract for an exit ramp — a renewal date, notice period, or termination clause — and disclose it publicly.
Release the usage policy and audit/search-log data now — that doesn't require a vote.
Speaking in person carries the most weight, but a written comment still goes on the public record before any vote. Use the city's official contact channel below, or reach individual members through their profile pages.
Open Contact City Council page ↗Council office: (714) 536-5553 · 2000 Main St, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Coordinate with other Huntington Beach residents organizing against Flock — meeting alerts, records-request updates, and a scheduled event for the Aug 18 City Council meeting.