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Woodland Police | License plate readers

Woodland's council adopted a two-year, $300,000 Flock Safety contract on February 3, 2026 that folds "over 40" cameras bought one at a time into a single agreement. Four cannabis dispensaries reimburse the city $80,000 a year for cameras at their sites.

At a glance

Council action
Resolution 8609, adopted 5-0 on 2026-02-03 [2]
Contract
Two years with Flock Group, Inc., not to exceed $300,000 [1] [2]
Cameras
"over 40 cameras," per the staff report; CBS Sacramento wrote "the city’s 26 cameras" [3] [4]
How the cameras were bought before 2026
Individually, "for amounts which did not require a contract or council authorization," at "approximately $3,000 to $4,000 per year to lease" [3]
Dispensary reimbursement
$80,000 a year ($160,000 of the contract) from four cannabis dispensaries, "minimizing the City’s direct cost to Flock to approximately $140,000" [3]
Sharing, as the chief described it
CBS Sacramento quoted the chief: "Our network is limited to us, in-house." [4]
Order form in the packet (unsigned)
36 "Flock Safety LPR, fka Falcon" units, 5 "Community Partnership Video Camera" units, 5 "Flock Safety Video Integration Gateway - 16 Streams, fka Wing" units; "Initial Term: 24 Months"; "Annual Recurring Subtotal: $148,000.00"; "Contract Total: $296,000.00"; "Retention Period: 30 Days" [3]
Retention in the department policy
Policy 441.5: "All ALPR data downloaded to the server should be stored for a minimum of one year (Government Code § 34090.6)"; the order form sets 30 days [5] [3]
Suspicion required to use
None. Policy 441.4: "Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR." [5]
Camera locations
not in any record we fetched; the order form counts units without addresses [3]

How it happened

  1. Decision

    Council adopts Resolution 8609, 5-0

    Pulled from the consent calendar at a councilmember's request, the item passed "on a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Vega, seconded by Councilmember Lansburgh and carried on a 5-0 vote". It authorizes "a 2-year contract for goods and services with Flock Group, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $300,000" and moves $80,000 in dispensary reimbursements into the police budget. [1] [2] [3]

What the record establishes

On February 3, 2026 the Woodland City Council took up item 6, “Authorize the City Manager to Enter a New Co-Termed Contract for the Existing Flock License Plate Readers.”[1] The minutes record that the item “was removed from the Consent Calendar as requested by Councilmember Moreno,” that the police chief and a lieutenant answered questions, that six members of the public spoke, and that “On a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Vega, seconded by Councilmember Lansburgh and carried on a 5-0 vote, Council Members adopted Resolution No. 8609” authorizing “a 2-year contract for goods and services with Flock Group, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $300,000” and appropriating $80,000 in dispensary revenue to the police budget.[2]

The staff report explains the history: “Over the course of many years, the City of Woodland Police Department has purchased Flock Falcon cameras for amounts which did not require a contract or council authorization per the purchasing rules outlined in the Woodland Municipal Code.” Each camera costs “approximately $3,000 to $4,000 per year to lease,” and “having over 40 cameras renewing multiple times a year has proven difficult to manage from a billing and budgeting perspective.” The department “also found that this hindered the ability to provide accurate ownership and contract information to the public when requested.” On money: “In partnership with Woodland’s four cannabis dispensaries, the City will be reimbursed $80,000 per year ($160,000 of the contract total) for security services rendered through the Woodland Police Department in lieu of 24/7 on-site security, minimizing the City’s direct cost to Flock to approximately $140,000.” The attachments include signed letter agreements with Embarc, Perfect Union, Sundial Collective and Woodland Cannabis Dispensary, a Flock sole source justification, and an unsigned Flock agreement.[3]

What was said at the meeting

CBS Sacramento reported on the meeting and quoted the police chief: “We do not provide ICE any information,” and “Our network is limited to us, in-house. The way it works under state law, we are allowed to share with police agencies in California. What we are not allowed to do is share with agencies outside of California.” The same report referred to “the city’s 26 cameras.”[4]

What the policy and the order form say

Policy 441 of the department’s policy manual says “Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR” (441.4) and that “All ALPR data downloaded to the server should be stored for a minimum of one year (Government Code § 34090.6)” (441.5).[5] The unsigned Flock order form in the packet reads “Retention Period: 30 Days” and lists “Flock Safety LPR, fka Falcon” at 36 units, “Community Partnership Video Camera” at 5 and “Flock Safety Video Integration Gateway - 16 Streams, fka Wing” at 5, with “Initial Term: 24 Months,” “Annual Recurring Subtotal: $148,000.00” and “Contract Total: $296,000.00.”[3] The policy and the order form state different retention periods; neither reconciles the other.

What it does not establish

The executed agreement, the camera locations, what the video gateways connect to, and the list of agencies with access are not in any record we fetched.

Questions

How many Flock cameras does Woodland have?
The staff report says the department has "over 40 cameras" leased individually over several years. The unsigned order form in the packet lists 36 license plate reader units, 5 "Community Partnership Video Camera" units and 5 "Wing" video integration gateways. CBS Sacramento's report on the meeting wrote "the city's 26 cameras." No record we fetched gives the locations. [3] [4]
Why did the contract come to the council now?
The staff report says the cameras had been bought "for amounts which did not require a contract or council authorization," that renewing "over 40 cameras" at different times "has proven difficult to manage from a billing and budgeting perspective," and that it "hindered the ability to provide accurate ownership and contract information to the public when requested." The new agreement co-terms them. [3]
Who pays?
The contract is not to exceed $300,000 over two years. Four cannabis dispensaries, under letter agreements attached to the packet, reimburse the city $80,000 a year for "security services rendered through the Woodland Police Department in lieu of 24/7 on-site security," which the report says brings the city's direct cost to about $140,000. [3]
Does Woodland share the data with federal agencies?
CBS Sacramento quoted the police chief at the meeting: "We do not provide ICE any information," and "The way it works under state law, we are allowed to share with police agencies in California. What we are not allowed to do is share with agencies outside of California." The sharing list itself is not in any record we fetched. [4]

On the map

The community has mapped 160 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 Yolo County.

What we have documented in Yolo 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.
    City of Woodland, City Council agenda, February 3, 2026, item 6 · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
  2. 2.
    City of Woodland, City Council minutes, February 3, 2026, item 6, Resolution 8609 · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
  3. 3.
    City of Woodland, City Council agenda packet, February 3, 2026, item 6 staff report and attachments (dispensary letter agreements, Flock sole source justification, unsigned Flock agreement) · Meeting record · · accessed · archived copy
  4. 4.
    CBS Sacramento, "Woodland extends Flock camera contract amid concerns over ICE access" · News · accessed · archived copy
  5. 5.
    Woodland Police Department Policy Manual, Policy 441, Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) · Primary document · accessed

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