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FOR FLOCK'S SAKE

Santa Cruz CA

License-plate cameras reported in and around Santa Cruz, CA, local decisions with a source for every item, and what you can do. We haven't independently verified these reports. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.

Snapshot · 2026-10-12

10

reported cameras within 3 mi of the city center

Active ALPR nodes on OpenStreetMap, from our daily snapshot. Radius sized to the city's land area.

Population

62,581

U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 estimate.

Per 10,000 residents

1.6

A rough ratio: the camera radius doesn't match city limits, and cameras near the center can sit in neighboring towns.

Trend: our daily history for Santa Cruz, CA starts 2026-10-12. A chart appears after the second daily snapshot.

Live map & nearest cameras

Counting reported cameras within 3 miles of Santa Cruz, CA…

Documented actions

  1. Jan 2026 · CONTRACT CANCELED

    Reported by DeFlock The USA Cancellation Tracker: The Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 to terminate their contract with Flock Safety after evidence that the city's data was accessed by out-of-state agencies (ICE) roughly 4,000x.

Nearby communities that acted

As reported by DeFlock The USA Cancellation Tracker.

Contract, renewal & spending

Vendor contract on file
Unknown
Renewal date
Unknown
Spending
Unknown

We haven't reviewed a primary source (contract, invoice, or council record) for these. A records request is the way to get them, and we'll add what you send us.

California ALPR law

Veh. Code § 2413 Civil Code § 1798.90.5 et seq.

Provides that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) may retain data from an ALPR for no more than 60 days, unless the data is being used as evidence in felony cases. Prohibits selling or making available ALPR data to non-law enforcement officers or agencies. Requires CHP to monitor internal use to prevent unauthorized use. Requires CHP to report to the legislature annually about how ALPR data is being used, including disclosures, which agencies’ data was disclosed to and why, and policy changes that affect privacy concerns.

Summary quoted from NCSL, Automated License Plate Readers: State Statutes, updated September 28, 2026. Not legal advice; read the statute.

What you can do in Santa Cruz

  1. Request the records from your local police department or sheriff: contracts, policies, sharing lists, audit logs. (Prefilled for California.)
  2. Check upcoming council or commission agendas for ALPR or Flock items, then prepare a public comment (prefilled for Santa Cruz).
  3. Track a drive from Santa Cruz to see how many reported cameras your commute passes.
  4. Fix the map: report missing cameras, or use "Report a fix" on a wrong pin.

Look it up elsewhere

Other independent projects hold records we don't. We link to them rather than copy their data.

Nearby city files