San Francisco has nearly 500 Flock cameras that photograph the license plate of every passing car. The city is now under new rules for that data, and Mission Local reports they still let police keep it far longer than some neighboring cities do.
What the mayor changed
Under the policy announced by Mayor Daniel Lurie, SFPD staff can run investigative searches of license plate reader data only in the first 30 days after capture, down from 12 months, the city says. Every search must be tied to an incident or dispatch number. After 30 days the data comes off the vendor's platform, so outside agencies can no longer reach it through Flock's network. The city says federal agencies have no direct access, and the cameras cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement.
SFPD will run monthly internal reviews of search logs and ask the Department of Police Accountability for independent audits. Lurie also plans to work with Assemblymember Matt Haney and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on state penalties for officers who misuse the data.
Where critics say it falls short
Mission Local reports that the photos are not erased after 30 days. They move to an internal SFPD platform for another 11 months, and officers can reach them with a supervisor's approval for an active investigation. San Jose, Oakland and South San Francisco must purge plate photos after 30 days unless they are flagged as evidence. Flock itself recommends deleting data after a week.
An SFPD spokesperson said a 2023 Board of Supervisors ordinance requires one-year retention. Deputy Public Defender Brian Cox called the policy "not a terrible first step" that "does not go far enough." Police Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said the department could work with supervisors to change the ordinance. The city's Flock contract is up for renewal in February.
Elsewhere in the region, Mill Valley has suspended its Flock cameras.