California
Tuolumne County
On record
Checked 14 Aug 2026- Technologies
- 5
- Systems
- 7
- Devices mapped
- 14
Tuolumne County, California. Device data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), with community reporting via DeFlock. Open the full map →
What's in use here
The City of Sonora operates two automated license plate readers at its entrance routes. In the council records we reviewed we found no vote awarding a contract for them, and no published copy of the usage and privacy policy state law requires.
The Board of Supervisors approved a grant application for three Axon license plate readers in July 2025, and the money arrived in January 2026. Deployment was scheduled for summer 2026. We found no purchase authorization and no usage policy on any Board agenda since the vote.
The Sheriff's Office has flown unmanned aircraft since at least 2017 under an internal policy. State law has required a public military equipment policy, adopted by ordinance, since May 2022. We could not find one for the county.
The Board approved a five-year agreement with Axon worth up to $572,718 in February 2022. The minutes record that it covers body-worn cameras and Tasers, and that its term began three weeks before the vote.
A county committee approved six Axon body cameras for the Probation Department in April 2026, paid for out of state realignment money. We found no Board of Supervisors item for the purchase.
In August 2024 the district superintendent told a school safety meeting that the district had eight new cameras with facial recognition. Our research found no other documented facial recognition in the county, and no records about these cameras beyond that statement.
Sonora police keep a list of privately owned security cameras whose owners have volunteered their locations, so officers can ask them for footage. Registration is voluntary. We found no council resolution, ordinance, or written policy for the program.
Who approves it
These systems were approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where they meet and how comment works.
Who runs it
The agency is the accountability unit: who voted, whose policy applies, and who answers a records request.
| Agency | Jurisdiction | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office | Tuolumne County | 3 |
| Sonora Police Department | City of Sonora | 2 |
| Sonora Union High School District | Sonora and surrounding communities | 1 |
| Tuolumne County Probation Department | Tuolumne County | 1 |
| 4 agencies on record. A jointly run system counts against each of its operators, so this column is not a county total. | ||
Cities
Trackers
Meetings, contracts, records
Nothing listed yet. The trackers launch here, and facts appear only with their sources.
How the inventory works →What you can do
Civic action
Show up
Public comment is open to any resident, and you do not have to be an expert to use it. The hub says what to expect in each room, how long you get to speak, and where to check the schedule before you go.
How to show up in Tuolumne County →Personal protection
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.
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