Immigration and ICE, License Plate Readers, Public Records

Federal Agencies Accessing Motorola License Plate Reader Data

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According to public records from dozens of California law enforcement agencies, there are at least 55 federal agencies accessing license plate reader data from Motorola license plate readers.

Federal law enforcement agencies with access to this license plate reader data include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). But the agcncies with such access include some that may surprise you: Federal Trade Commission, Forest Service, US Marine Corps, and US Patent and Trademark Office.

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Transparency Ordinance

Vacancies on Oakland’s Privacy Commission

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If you live in the City of Oakland and care about privacy rights and surveillance, please consider a volunteer position on the city’s privacy commission. There are a number of vacancies, with more coming in March of 2027, and it is really important for this commission to stay healthy.

You don’t have to be an expert. By design, this is a citizen’s commission. Things that it may be helpful to be familiar with include municipal processes like the Brown Act, Oakland’s geography and demographics, state privacy laws, concepts like disparate impact, and general understanding of technology. But a willingness to learn is the most important thing.

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Fusion Centers, License Plate Readers

Alameda Co. Sheriff Discovers Illegal Sharing of License Plate Reader Data

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At a meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on June 30, 2026, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office stated that an audit from May 2025 to May 2026 found 140 unauthorized searches of their license plate reader data. As a result of these unauthorized searches, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office stopped sharing with two agencies and is now conducting weekly audits of its license plate reader program.

During a staff presentation on consolidation of contracts with Flock Safety for license plate readers, pan-tilt-zoom surveillance cameras and drones, Sergeant Fenton Culley at first didn’t name the agencies, which were later identified as the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) and the Western States Information Network (WSIN) by Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez. NCRIC is a fusion center covering most of northern California and WSIN is a private organization for sharing law enforcement data in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Guam, and New Zealand.

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License Plate Readers

Dozens of California Law Enforcement Agencies Illegally Sharing License Plate Reader Data

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According to documents disclosed from public records requests, dozens of California law enforcement agencies are illegally sharing license plate reader data with federal and out-of-state agencies.

California law enforcement agencies including the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Fresno County Sheriff, Newport Beach Police Department (PD), West Covina PD, Oakley PD, San Pablo PD, Pleasanton PD, and Pittsburg PD produced documents indicating that they were illegally sharing license plate reader data with federal agencies, including Customs and Border Protection.

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License Plate Readers

UC Merced Police Illegally Shared License Plate Reader Data

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A data sharing report from a public records request we filed on March 3, 2026, revealed that the UC Merced Police Department was sharing license plate reader data with federal and out-of-state agencies in violation of California state law.

 The report showed that the UC Merced Police Department was sharing license plate reader with eight federal agencies, including the Border Patrol and the National Targeting Center of Customs and Border Protection. UC Merced PD also shared its license plate reader data with 258 out-of-state agencies in nearly 40 states. Sharing license plate reader data with federal and out-of-state agencies was made illegal by SB34, which was passed in 2015 and went into effect in 2016.

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