Chico PD audit confirms ICE accessed license plate reader records; council orders policy review

First reported: September 23, 2026 · 1 source

At a special Chico City Council meeting Monday, the Chico Police Department presented an internal audit of its Automated License Plate Reader program after ChicoSol reported in July that the department had shared camera data with out-of-state and federal agencies. The audit found that in transaction logs recovered for May 29 through July 8, ICE viewed six unique plate records, one of them six times, and stated there is no doubt more than one Chico record was shared; the purpose of the access remains unknown. Operations Chief Jeramie Struthers told councilmembers no laws were broken and no officer misuse had been identified. After 24 public speakers, all opposed to the system, the council passed Councilmember Mike O'Brien's motion directing the City Attorney to review existing ALPR policy and recommend changes, and to pay Motorola $6,000 for software enabling faster log access.

Why this matters

California's SB 34 and SB 54 restrict sharing ALPR data with out-of-state and federal immigration authorities, and Chico's audit shows the department's limited ability to reconstruct who accessed its data after sharing ended. How the council resolves oversight questions may inform other California cities auditing similar programs.

Key facts

Chico PD has operated an ALPR program since 2013 and deployed its current camera system in 2023.
Recovered logs covering May 29 to July 8 showed ICE viewed six unique plate records, one viewed six times; the purpose is unclear.
Department staff said no laws were broken and no officer misuse was identified; the audit itself flagged potential SB 34, SB 54, First and Fourth Amendment concerns.
Data sharing with out-of-state agencies had already ended before the July reporting, which also cut off access to older transaction logs.
Council approved a City Attorney policy review plus $6,000 to Motorola; motions to cancel data sharing or downsize the system did not prevail, and a proposed third-party review committee was tabled.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Chico police confirm license plate reader data was shared with ICE (theorion.com, September 23, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated September 28, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.