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San Francisco police keep Flock data for a year despite 30-day rule

San Francisco police keep Flock data for a year despite 30-day rule

Rule Changes San Francisco, CA local

S.F. police remove Flock data from the vendor after 30 days but keep an internal copy for 11 more months. Critics say moving data is not deleting it.

October 14th, 2026: Candidates stake positions on Flock ahead of November election

Overview

Updated Oct 17

San Francisco police remove Flock license plate data from the company's platform after 30 days, then move a copy to an internal SFPD system for another 11 months. San Jose, Oakland and South San Francisco delete such data after 30 days, and Flock recommends seven days. Critics say moving data is not deleting it.

The rules took effect Oct. 5, after a 2025-2026 scandal in which outside agencies improperly searched the city's Flock data 1.6 million times. San Francisco's contract with Flock is up for renewal in February 2027, and the Board of Supervisors will decide whether to keep the cameras with the new limits or cancel.

Why it matters

San Francisco runs one of the country's largest Flock networks; its 30-day retention rule could become the template for hundreds of police departments.

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Key Indicators

30 days
Flock platform retention limit
SFPD must remove Flock data from the vendor platform after 30 days, down from 12 months. The department keeps an internal copy for up to 11 more months.
11 months
Internal SFPD retention
After the 30-day vendor cutoff, SFPD moves license plate photos to its own system, where officers can access them for another 11 months with supervisory approval.
7 days
Flock's recommended retention
Flock recommends police delete license plate data after seven days, based on a review of when searches occur. San Francisco's one-year total is more than 50 times that.
1.6M
Unauthorized database accesses
Out-of-state agencies accessed SF's Flock database 1.6 million times without authorization, revealed in a September 2025 investigation.
~500
Flock cameras in San Francisco
The city's ALPR network has nearly 500 cameras, all contracted through Flock Safety.
214
Cities and counties that dropped Flock
Secure Justice counts 214 jurisdictions that ended Flock agreements since 2021 as of August 2026, including 90 in that month. Flock says new partnerships in 2026 outpaced nonrenewals 10 to 1.

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People Involved

Daniel Lurie
Daniel Lurie
Mayor of San Francisco
Announced new Flock data policies September 2026
 Matt Haney
Matt Haney
California State Assemblymember
Planning December 2026 legislation penalizing improper license plate data sharing
 Brooke Jenkins
Brooke Jenkins
San Francisco District Attorney
Supporting state legislation on ALPR data misuse
DL
Derrick Lew
SFPD Chief of Police
Issued department notices implementing Flock data rules
 Chris Larsen
Chris Larsen
Crypto billionaire, SFPD tech donor
Criticized the 12-month data retention, adding pressure for change

Organizations Involved

Flock Safety
Flock Safety
Technology company
Vendor for SF's ALPR network; recommends 7-day data retention amid national scrutiny

Flock Safety is the Atlanta-based company that builds the automated license plate reader cameras and database used by San Francisco police.
San Francisco Police Department
San Francisco Police Department
Police Department
Under new data retention and search oversight rules

SFPD operates nearly 500 Flock automated license plate readers across the city, plus drones and other surveillance tools approved under Proposition E.
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
City commission
2026 report led to mayor's new Flock rules

The commission investigates civil rights and equity issues in San Francisco.
Department of Police Accountability
Department of Police Accountability
City oversight body
Conducting annual Flock audits; audit underway as of September 2026

San Francisco's independent police oversight agency, investigating misconduct and reviewing department practices.

Timeline

March 2024 February 2027

11 events Latest: October 14th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Board of Supervisors to vote on Flock contract

    Upcoming Political

    The Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on whether to extend Flock's contract with the city early in 2027, with activists pushing for cancellation and city officials defending the program.

  2. Haney expected to introduce state bill

    Upcoming Legislation

    Assemblymember Matt Haney plans to introduce a bill making it a crime for officers to improperly use or share license plate reader data, with support from the district attorney and mayor.

  3. Candidates stake positions on Flock ahead of November election

    Latest Political

    Axios reports San Francisco supervisor and congressional candidates in the 2026 election are taking public positions on the Flock camera network, ahead of the Board of Supervisors' early-2027 contract renewal vote.

  4. New Flock data rules take effect

    Policy Change

    The 30-day vendor limit, 11-month internal retention, search documentation and audit requirements go into effect.

  5. Lurie announces 30-day Flock platform limit and 1-year internal retention

    Policy Change

    Mayor Lurie imposes new rules requiring SFPD to remove Flock data from the vendor platform after 30 days, keep an internal copy for up to 11 more months, link searches to investigations, and submit to monthly audits.

  6. Human Rights Commission releases Flock report

    Report

    The commission's report on the 1.6 million unauthorized searches finds no sanctuary city violation but recommends shorter data retention and clearer search justifications.

  7. SF Democratic Party reaffirms Flock support

    Political

    The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee votes to reaffirm support for existing Flock guidelines despite protests from activists.

  8. San Jose officer fired for Flock misuse

    Incident

    An off-duty San Jose police officer is fired after allegedly using Flock to track a woman accusing his cousin of domestic abuse, then sharing the data with the accused. The case exposed that no state law penalizes such misuse.

  9. SFPD audit finds regional hub ran 299 Flock searches for outside agencies

    Report

    An SFPD audit disclosed in June found the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center facilitated 299 searches of San Francisco's Flock data at the request of federal or out-of-state agencies between May 2025 and May 2026.

  10. SF Standard reveals 1.6 million unauthorized Flock accesses

    Investigation

    A September 2025 Standard investigation finds out-of-state agencies, including federal agencies, improperly accessed San Francisco's Flock database 1.6 million times. SFPD's own audit later confirms the unauthorized access.

  11. Voters approve Proposition E

    Election

    San Francisco voters pass a ballot measure expanding SFPD authority to use drones and cameras, part of a get-tough approach that paved the way for Flock's expansion.

Scenarios

1

SF supervisors extend Flock contract with new guardrails

Likely Resolves by Apr 1, 2027

Discussed by: SF Standard, Mission Local

The Board of Supervisors votes to extend Flock's contract in early 2027. The new retention and audit rules satisfy the moderate majority, which points to the city's crime decline, including car break-ins at a 22-year low. Progressive opposition holds protests but lacks votes, and the contract passes with conditions attached.

2

California makes license plate data misuse a crime

Possible Resolves by Oct 1, 2027

Discussed by: Mission Local, San Francisco Chronicle

Assemblymember Matt Haney introduces the bill in December 2026. The legislation creates penalties for officers who improperly use or share ALPR data, closing a gap exposed by the San Jose tracking case. The bill moves through committees in 2027, with passage depending on law enforcement support and the legislative calendar.

3

SF supervisors reject Flock contract amid privacy backlash

Unlikely Resolves by Apr 1, 2027

Discussed by: Progressive activists, privacy advocates

The contract vote fails after new revelations of misuse surface or the board shifts left politically. SFPD loses access to its ALPR network and must rely on other surveillance tools. This is less likely given the moderate majority and the city's focus on crime reduction.

4

November election shifts the Flock contract vote

Uncertain Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Axios San Francisco

Candidates in San Francisco's 2026 supervisor and congressional races have staked positions on the Flock network. A shift in the board's makeup after November could make the early-2027 contract renewal fail or pass with new conditions; if moderates hold, it renews with the 30-day guardrails attached.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May 2019

San Francisco's facial recognition ban (2019)

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 to ban city departments, including police, from using facial recognition technology, the first US city to do so. The ordinance required all surveillance technologies to have approved policies before use.

Then

City agencies were barred from facial recognition use, and the vote set off a national wave of similar bans.

Now

Within five years, SF reversed course under new leadership, expanding drone and camera authority through Proposition E while keeping the policy-approval framework the 2019 ordinance created.

Why this matters now

The swing from facial recognition ban to Flock embrace frames today's debate: both sides use the 2019 ordinance's framework to argue for or against stricter controls on surveillance.

2023-2026

National backlash against Flock (2023-2026)

Nearly 150 cities and local governments deactivated Flock cameras or canceled their contracts amid privacy concerns, unauthorized federal access, and cases of officers using the data to stalk or intimidate. A Senate hearing this year scrutinized the company's practices.

Then

Flock lost contracts across the country while defending its platform and data-sharing model.

Now

The backlash pushed agencies like San Francisco to adopt retention limits and audit requirements rather than abandon the technology entirely.

Why this matters now

SF is following the opposite path of the canceling cities, keeping Flock but tightening controls. The early 2027 contract vote will test whether that middle ground holds.

2020s

Oregon's ALPR privacy rules (2020s)

Oregon adopted statewide limits on how long police can retain automated license plate reader data and who can access it, setting a standard for other states.

Then

Oregon's police departments adjusted their retention and access practices to comply.

Now

Oregon became a model for other jurisdictions; Lurie's office explicitly cited it as the template for San Francisco's new policy.

Why this matters now

The adoption of Oregon's approach shows the ALPR policy debate is converging on standardized guardrails rather than outright bans.

Sources

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Mission Local San Francisco Standard San Francisco Chronicle via Yahoo News San Francisco Police Department The Voice of San Francisco San Francisco Patch Tech Times SF.gov Axios San Francisco NPR Planet Money Electronic Frontier Foundation KQED Mission Local Mission Local