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Merced County Sheriff | Flock license plate readers

The Sheriff operates a Flock license plate reader network. A 2026 amendment extends the county contract through June 2030 and raises its total value to $385,350.

At a glance

Contract ceiling
$385,350 [3]
Contract end
June 30, 2030 [3]
Portal camera count
22 cameras [1]
Portal retention
30 days [1]
Policy retention
at least one year on the server [4]
Installed locations
the CEQA notice names communities and corridors but does not provide a current site list [2]

How it happened

  1. Deployment

    County publishes an installation notice

    A CEQA notice describes pole-mounted, solar-powered cameras at multiple county locations, including areas near Dos Palos, Planada, Santa Nella, Hilmar, and Stevinson. [2]

  2. Expansion

    Board extends the Flock contract through 2030

    The Board approves Amendment 2 to contract 14006, extending the term through June 30, 2030 and raising the total amount not to exceed $385,350. [3]

How it was approved

The county’s July 14, 2026 agenda records Amendment 2 to contract 14006. It extends the Flock agreement through June 30, 2030 and raises the total amount not to exceed $385,350.[3]

A state environmental notice published November 5, 2024 describes pole-mounted cameras powered by solar panels at multiple county locations. It names areas near Dos Palos, Planada, Santa Nella, Hilmar, and Stevinson, but it is not a current site inventory.[2]

What the system does

The Sheriff’s Flock portal says the system supports retroactive vehicle searches and real-time hotlist alerts. It says the cameras collect license-plate and vehicle details, not faces or personal characteristics. The portal reported 22 cameras when reviewed.[1]

The portal’s acceptable-use rules prohibit immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment, and personal use. It also requires a reason for each search and human verification of alerts.[1]

What governs it

Policy 462 permits ALPR use for official law-enforcement purposes and does not require reasonable suspicion before a search. It calls for training, access logs, audits, and alert confirmation through CLETS when practical. It limits sharing to California state and local public agencies and excludes federal and out-of-state agencies.[4]

The public records give two different retention statements. The Flock portal says plate data is deleted after 30 days. Policy 462 says ALPR server data is kept for at least one year. The records reviewed do not establish whether these refer to different products, copies, or configurations.[1][4]

Questions

Does the Merced County Sheriff use Flock cameras?
Yes. The Sheriff's Flock portal reports 22 cameras, and county records document the installation and contract. [1] [2] [3]
How long is plate data kept?
The Flock portal says 30 days. The Sheriff's general ALPR policy says server data is kept for at least one year. The reviewed public records do not explain whether the statements refer to different systems or data stores. [1] [4]
Who can search the system?
The portal shows sharing with California law-enforcement agencies. Policy 462 permits sharing with California state and local public agencies and excludes federal and out-of-state agencies. [1] [4]
Can an alert alone justify a stop?
Policy 462 directs members to verify an alert through CLETS when practical before taking enforcement action. [4]

On the map

The community has mapped 62 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 Merced County.

What we have documented in Merced 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.
    Merced County Sheriff Flock Safety transparency portal · Primary document · accessed
  2. 2.
    CEQA notice for Merced County Sheriff Flock camera installation · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy
  3. 3.
    Merced County Board of Supervisors agenda, July 14, 2026, item 16 · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
  4. 4.
    Merced County Sheriff's Office policy manual, Policy 462 · Primary document · · accessed · archived copy

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