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Amador County Sheriff | Flock license plate readers

Amador County approved 10 Flock Safety license plate readers for $85,500 over two years. The Sheriff said eight were installed by August 2026, when the Board rejected cancellation and directed another public review near renewal.

At a glance

Devices
10 contracted; 8 installed as of August 11, 2026 [2] [5]
Vendor
Flock Safety [1] [2]
Contract
$85,500 over 24 months [2]
Billing schedule
$45,500 at signing; $40,000 after year one [2]
Funding source
Sheriff grant funding and partnerships; no general fund impact [1]
Data retention period
30 days in the contract; at least one year in the published policy [2] [3] [5]
Reason required for a search
a case or incident number, according to the Sheriff [1] [3]
Audit interval
the policy calls for audits on a regular basis but names no interval [3]
Renewal
successive 24-month terms unless either party gives 30 days notice [2]

How it happened

  1. Context

    The Sheriff's Office begins using other agencies' Flock data

    Sheriff Gary Redman later tells the Board that the office began demo access in 2023, before it had a county contract or cameras of its own. He says the office used another agency's readers in a stolen-equipment investigation. [5]

  2. Decision

    The Board approves the Flock proposal

    The Board of Supervisors approves the Sheriff's proposal on its consent calendar. The item authorizes contract negotiations and lets the Undersheriff sign after review by County Counsel, General Services and Risk Management. The agenda item says a four-fifths vote is required and the record is marked approved unanimously. [1]

  3. Procurement

    The two-year agreement is fully signed

    Undersheriff Jarret Benov signs on March 3 and Flock's general counsel signs on March 5. The order covers 10 Falcon readers, eight standard installations and two installations on existing infrastructure. It totals $85,500 over 24 months. [2]

  4. Deployment

    The Sheriff signs an exemption notice for two roadside sites

    The notice lists proposed reader sites on Highway 88 at Ridge Road and Highway 49 at Electra Road, both in Caltrans rights of way. The state posts the notice on June 26. [4]

  5. Context

    The published policy keeps a one-year retention floor

    The office republishes Policy 473. It says reader data should be stored for at least one year, while the signed agreement uses Flock's rolling 30-day deletion period. The policy also describes data transferred from vehicles even though the county bought fixed readers. [2] [3]

  6. Debate

    The Board rejects cancellation and orders a renewal review

    The Sheriff tells supervisors that eight of the 10 readers are installed. A motion by Brian Oneto, seconded by Logan Carnell, to cancel the contract fails 2-3. A second motion to put the program on a regular agenda near the end of the contract passes 5-0. [5]

What the county bought

The executed order covers 10 Flock Safety Falcon license plate readers. Eight have a standard installation fee and two are installed on existing infrastructure. The first year costs $45,500, followed by $40,000 after year one, for a two-year total of $85,500.[2]

The Sheriff’s February 2025 letter says grants and partnerships would pay for the program with no impact on the general fund. It does not name those grants or partners.[1]

The contract covers 10 readers, but that is not an installed count. Sheriff Gary Redman told the Board on August 11, 2026 that eight were installed and the county was still slated for 10.[5]

Approval and reconsideration

The Board approved the proposal on its February 25, 2025 consent calendar. The item required a four-fifths vote, is marked approved unanimously, and delegated final negotiation and signature after review by County Counsel, General Services and Risk Management.[1]

Supervisors returned to the program on August 11, 2026 after residents raised privacy, accountability and public-process concerns. Chair Patrick Crew said the item “probably shouldn’t have” been on consent. A motion by Supervisors Brian Oneto and Logan Carnell to cancel the contract failed 2-3. The Board then voted 5-0 to place the program on a regular agenda near the end of the contract.[5]

The chair referred to an expected February 2027 renewal. The agreement says the 24-month term begins with the first installation and validation, and the agreement does not state that date. It automatically renews for another 24 months unless either party gives at least 30 days notice.[2]

Two retention periods

The agreement uses Flock’s standard rolling 30-day deletion period. The Sheriff also told the Board that the county system stores data for 30 days.[2][5]

Policy 473 says reader data should be stored for a minimum of one year. The December 2025 policy still describes data transferred from vehicles and stored on a mobile workstation, although the county bought fixed roadside readers.[3]

The records we reviewed do not say whether the configured system follows the 30-day agreement or the one-year policy. They also do not explain whether the vehicle-based language governs the fixed readers.

Searches and audits

Policy 473 says reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using a reader. It limits use to official law-enforcement business and says system audits should occur on a regular basis, without naming an interval.[3]

The Sheriff’s proposal adds a safeguard that is not stated in those terms in Policy 473: a case or incident number must be attached to each search. The letter also promises routine command audits.[1]

The executed order includes access to network and vehicle-search features. A product description shows what the subscription makes available, but it does not establish that every listed feature is enabled for Amador County. At the August 2026 meeting, the Sheriff said the county’s setup had no live stream or facial recognition.[2][5]

Where the readers are

A June 2025 exemption notice lists two proposed roadside sites: westbound Highway 88 at Ridge Road and northbound Highway 49 at Electra Road.[4] At the August 2026 meeting, the Sheriff discussed moving two readers out of Sutter Creek and referred to Latrobe Road and the Highway 49 and Electra Road area.[5]

The points shown below come from community mapping. They may include private readers, may be incomplete, and do not identify the eight county readers the Sheriff described.

Prepare for the renewal review

For civic action, watch the official Board calendar for the promised regular-agenda review near renewal. Ask the Board and Sheriff’s Office to publish the revised policy, configured retention period, audit schedule, aggregate audit results, funding sources and current sharing list before that vote.

For personal action, if a traffic stop or investigation appears to have relied on a reader, record the date, place, agency and incident or report number. Use the agency’s ordinary records process to request the records available to you, and keep your own notes with any response. That creates a specific record to review instead of relying on a map point or a general description of the system.

Questions

How many Flock readers does Amador County have?
The signed order covers 10 readers. Sheriff Gary Redman told the Board on August 11, 2026 that eight were installed and that the county was still slated for 10. Community-mapped reader points on the county map are a separate dataset and are not an official camera count. [2] [5]
How long does the Sheriff's Office keep plate data?
The signed agreement says Flock deletes ordinary footage on a rolling 30-day basis, and the Sheriff described 30 days at the August 2026 meeting. Policy 473 says reader data should be stored for at least one year. The records we reviewed do not explain which rule controls the configured system. [2] [3] [5]
Was the purchase discussed at a public meeting?
The Board approved it on the February 25, 2025 consent calendar. At the August 2026 meeting, Chair Patrick Crew said the item probably should not have been on consent. The Board then held public comment, rejected cancellation 2-3 and voted 5-0 for another regular-agenda review near renewal. [1] [5]
When will the contract return to the Board?
The Board voted to review the program near the end of the contract, and the chair referred to an expected February 2027 renewal. The agreement itself starts the 24-month term at first installation and validation, whose date is not stated there. Check the current Board calendar rather than relying on an estimated month. [2] [5]
Who paid for the readers?
The Sheriff's February 2025 letter says grant funding and partnerships would cover the program with no general fund impact. The letter does not identify the grants or partners. [1]

On the map

The community has mapped 12 devices of this type in the county on OpenStreetMap. These are community reports: the vendor and operator of each point are unverified, and none is confirmed to belong to this system. See them on the map →

Street names from reverse geocoding — © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

What we do not know

What you can do

Show up

Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have not yet confirmed where each of them meets in Amador County.

What we have documented in Amador County →

Protect yourself

Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.

Surveillance Self-Defense →

Sources

  1. 1.
    Amador County Board of Supervisors, February 25, 2025 Flock agenda item and supporting records · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
  2. 2.
    Amador County and Flock Safety executed order form and master services agreement · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy · our copy (2636 KB)
  3. 3.
    Amador County Sheriff's Office Policy 473, Automated License Plate Readers · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy · our copy (80 KB)
  4. 4.
    California CEQAnet, notice of exemption SCH 2025061219 · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy
  5. 5.
    Amador County Board of Supervisors meeting video, August 11, 2026, item 3B · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy

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