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Chico Police | License plate readers

Chico Police's published policy says reader detections are shared with agencies in four states and with federal law enforcement. In July 2026 the department said it had stopped federal and out-of-state sharing after a records request showed the access.

At a glance

Published policy
Policy 450 (Lexipol stamp 2026-06-02) [1]
Minimum retention
1 year [1]
Prior suspicion required
No [1]
Sharing stated in policy
LEARN agencies in CA, OR, NV, AZ; federal agencies [1]
Cameras
27 fixed, per reporting [2]
Locations
not stated in the policy or in the reporting we fetched [1] [2]

How it happened

  1. Decision

    Earliest reported data-sharing agreement

    ChicoSol reported that records released in July 2026 show memorandums of understanding granting access to Chico PD reader data as early as February 23, 2023, with twelve federal agreements approved that year. [3]

  2. Context

    Policy 450 carries the federal-sharing clause

    The policy stamp current on 2026-08-22 states that detections are shared with LEARN agencies in California, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona and "will also be shared with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies." The same policy quotes the Civil Code definition that limits a public agency to California agencies. [1]

  3. Incident

    Records show federal and out-of-state access

    ChicoSol reported that, in response to a June 22 Public Records Act request, the department provided records showing data sharing with many federal and out-of-state agencies, and quoted the chief: "We shouldn't have been sharing." The department said it had begun an audit. [2]

  4. Debate

    City opens an internal investigation

    ChicoSol reported that the police department, city attorney and city manager's office opened an internal investigation into how the agreements were signed. [3]

  5. Debate

    Residents ask the council to remove the cameras

    North State Public Radio reported public comment asking the council to remove the cameras and create an oversight committee; the item was not on the agenda and no action was taken. [4]

  6. Context

    Special council meeting scheduled

    KRCR reported a special City Council meeting on the reader program set for September 22, 2026. [6]

What the policy says

Policy 450 states that all detection data from the department’s readers “will be shared with requesting law enforcement agencies who utilize the Law Enforcement Archival Reporting Network (LEARN), in the following states: California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Detections will also be shared with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.”[1] A later section of the same policy, on releasing data, states that “a public agency is limited to California state or local agencies, including law enforcement agencies, and does not include out-of-state or federal law enforcement agencies (Civil Code § 1798.90.5).”[1]

The policy sets a minimum retention of one year and says that “Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR.”[1] It does not state a vendor, a camera count, or locations.

Two versions of the policy are published. The city’s transparency page links an earlier Policy 449 (Lexipol stamp August 22, 2022), which says data “may be shared only with other law enforcement or prosecutorial agencies” and contains neither the LEARN sentence nor the Civil Code definition.[5] Policy 450, on the same document host, is the June 2026 version quoted above. ChicoSol’s reporting cites the sharing clause as section 449.5.[2]

What the records showed

ChicoSol reported that the department, answering a Public Records Act request filed June 22, 2026, provided records showing data sharing with many federal and out-of-state agencies, that the department has 27 active fixed Motorola cameras, and that the chief said, “We shouldn’t have been sharing.”[2] A second report described sharing agreements dating from February 23, 2023, twelve of them with federal agencies in 2023, and an internal investigation opened by the city.[3]

What is being decided

Residents asked the City Council on August 18, 2026 to remove the cameras; the item was not on the agenda.[4] A special meeting on the program is scheduled for September 22, 2026.[6] The agreements themselves, the audit the department said it began, and any policy revision are the subject of a records request drafted in this county’s research file.

Questions

Does Chico Police share license plate reader data with federal agencies?
The published policy says detections "will also be shared with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies." In July 2026, the department told ChicoSol it had stopped federal and out-of-state sharing after a records request showed the access. [1] [2]
How long is the data kept?
The policy says data should be stored for a minimum of one year and then purged unless it has become evidence. [1]
Is suspicion required before a search?
The policy says reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using a reader. [1]
How many cameras are there and where?
ChicoSol reported 27 active fixed Motorola cameras. Locations are not stated in the policy or in the reporting we fetched. The county map shows community-reported points, which are not an agency inventory. [2]

On the map

The community has mapped 104 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 Butte County.

What we have documented in Butte 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.
    Chico Police Department Policy 450, Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy · our copy (14 KB)
  2. 2.
    ChicoSol, "Chico PD granted ICE, Border Patrol, access to its ALPR data" · News · · accessed · archived copy
  3. 3.
    ChicoSol, "City launches internal investigation into data sharing with federal agencies" · News · · accessed · archived copy
  4. 4.
    North State Public Radio, "Take them down: Chico residents call for removal of license plate reader cameras" · News · · accessed · archived copy
  5. 5.
    Chico Police Department Policy 449, Automated License Plate Readers (Lexipol stamp 2022/08/22), posted on the city transparency page · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy · our copy (12 KB)
  6. 6.
    KRCR, "Special city council meeting called for Sept. 22, regarding ALPR" · News · · accessed · archived copy

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