State
California
California is where Orwell Index started. Every county here has a dated source baseline: an OpenStreetMap device snapshot and the EFF Atlas of Surveillance entries for its agencies. A smaller set of counties has completed local-records research, and those county pages carry findings drawn from contracts, council and board minutes, and department policies.
California also has statutes that shape what we look for. The State law section below lists them, each with the technology it governs and the source it was read from.
On record, across California
- Systems documented
- 151
- Operating now
- 130
- Devices mapped
- 24,795
24,795 devices mapped by the community, 0 verified by Orwell Index so far.
Researched counties
-
Alameda County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 3
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 1879
-
Alpine County
Researched- Technologies
- 0
- Systems
- 0
- Operating now
- 0
- Devices mapped
- 0
-
Amador County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 12
-
Butte County
Researched- Technologies
- 3
- Systems
- 7
- Operating now
- 5
- Devices mapped
- 236
-
Calaveras County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 4
-
Colusa County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 10
-
Contra Costa County
Researched- Technologies
- 3
- Systems
- 6
- Operating now
- 6
- Devices mapped
- 594
-
Del Norte County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 10
-
El Dorado County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 4
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 94
-
Fresno County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 268
-
Humboldt County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 33
-
Imperial County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 242
-
Inyo County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 17
-
Kern County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 617
-
Kings County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 61
-
Lake County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 73
-
Lassen County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 11
-
Los Angeles County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 3587
-
Marin County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 4
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 178
-
Mariposa County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 7
- Operating now
- 5
- Devices mapped
- 26
-
Mendocino County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 48
-
Merced County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 10
- Operating now
- 10
- Devices mapped
- 89
-
Mono County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 6
- Operating now
- 4
- Devices mapped
- 21
-
Monterey County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 393
-
Napa County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 3
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 53
-
Nevada County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 8
- Operating now
- 6
- Devices mapped
- 247
-
Orange County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 1751
-
Placer County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 9
- Operating now
- 8
- Devices mapped
- 357
-
Plumas County
Researched- Technologies
- 0
- Systems
- 0
- Operating now
- 0
- Devices mapped
- 0
-
Riverside County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 2284
-
Sacramento County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 3
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 827
-
San Benito County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 34
-
San Bernardino County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 1512
-
San Diego County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 1827
-
San Francisco County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 1877
-
San Joaquin County
Researched- Technologies
- 3
- Systems
- 5
- Operating now
- 4
- Devices mapped
- 351
-
San Luis Obispo County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 189
-
San Mateo County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 826
-
Santa Barbara County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 554
-
Santa Cruz County
Researched- Technologies
- 3
- Systems
- 5
- Operating now
- 4
- Devices mapped
- 139
-
Shasta County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 92
-
Sierra County
Researched- Technologies
- 0
- Systems
- 0
- Operating now
- 0
- Devices mapped
- 0
-
Siskiyou County
Researched- Technologies
- 0
- Systems
- 0
- Operating now
- 0
- Devices mapped
- 8
-
Solano County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 5
- Operating now
- 4
- Devices mapped
- 417
-
Sonoma County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 7
- Operating now
- 7
- Devices mapped
- 516
-
Stanislaus County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 3
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 270
-
Sutter County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 42
-
Tehama County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 14
-
Trinity County
Researched- Technologies
- 0
- Systems
- 0
- Operating now
- 0
- Devices mapped
- 4
-
Tulare County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 3
- Operating now
- 3
- Devices mapped
- 113
-
Tuolumne County
Researched- Technologies
- 5
- Systems
- 7
- Operating now
- 4
- Devices mapped
- 14
-
Ventura County
Researched- Technologies
- 1
- Systems
- 1
- Operating now
- 1
- Devices mapped
- 313
-
Yolo County
Researched- Technologies
- 4
- Systems
- 7
- Operating now
- 6
- Devices mapped
- 163
-
Yuba County
Researched- Technologies
- 2
- Systems
- 2
- Operating now
- 2
- Devices mapped
- 39
Source baseline counties
A dated OpenStreetMap device snapshot and the EFF Atlas entries for the county's agencies. Local records research has not been completed for these counties.
State law
-
AB 748 (2018)
Recordings of an incident in which an officer shoots at a person, or uses force resulting in death or great bodily injury, must be released within 45 days, subject to a delay of up to a year where disclosure would substantially interfere with an active investigation.
Source: California AB 748 (2018), peace officer video and audio recordings, accessed 17 Aug 2026
-
SB 1421 (2018) and SB 16 (2021), Penal Code 832.7
Peace officer personnel records are confidential except in named categories, which include the discharge of a firearm at a person, uses of force causing death or great bodily injury, and sustained findings of dishonesty, sexual assault, excessive force, or failure to intervene against another officer's excessive force.
Source: California SB 1421 (2018), peace officers, release of records, accessed 17 Aug 2026
-
Body cameras · Facial recognition
AB 1215 (2019), expired
Prohibited agencies from applying face recognition or other biometric surveillance to officer camera footage. The prohibition expired on 1 January 2023 and was not replaced.
Source: California AB 1215 (2019), Body Camera Accountability Act, accessed 17 Aug 2026; California SB 1038 (2021-2022), law enforcement facial recognition and biometric surveillance, accessed 17 Aug 2026
-
AB 481 (2021), Government Code 7070 and following
Drones are classed as military equipment. A law enforcement agency must obtain its governing body's approval of a military equipment use policy by ordinance before funding, acquiring or using one, publish an annual report on the equipment's use on its website, and hold a community meeting within 30 days of releasing that report.
Source: California AB 481 (2021), Government Code 7070 and following, accessed 17 Aug 2026
-
SB 34 (2015), Civil Code 1798.90.5 and following
An agency operating a system must adopt a usage and privacy policy and post it conspicuously on its website. The policy must state the authorised purposes for collecting the data, who may access the system, how long the information is kept and how it is destroyed. The agency must also keep a record of who accessed the data and why.
Source: California SB 34 (2015), Civil Code 1798.90.5 and following, accessed 17 Aug 2026