Costa Mesa City Council to weigh future of 46 Flock ALPR cameras at Tuesday meeting

Event: July 21, 2026 · First reported: July 17, 2026 · 1 source

The Costa Mesa City Council is scheduled to review the city's contract with Atlanta-based Flock Safety on Tuesday, following resident concerns about surveillance, potential misuse of data and the possibility that information could be used to target undocumented residents. City staff have recommended keeping the 46 automated license plate reader cameras, though the agenda allows the council to give alternative direction. Opponents organizing under the slogan "Get the Flock out of Costa Mesa" and supporters of the program have both called for supporters to attend ahead of the 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall.

Why this matters

Costa Mesa is one of several California cities re-examining ALPR contracts amid questions about data sharing and internal misuse, and the council's decision will show how much weight local officials give staff recommendations versus resident objections.

Key facts

Costa Mesa Police Department monitors 46 Flock cameras; the city first contracted for 31 cameras in 2022 for $97,600, added 15 funded by an organized retail theft grant, and in 2024 approved a three-year lease backed by $306,000 in city funds plus $153,750 in grant money.
CMPD officials estimate the cameras contributed to 107 felony arrests and the recovery of 80 stolen vehicles worth nearly $1.3 million in the program's first year.
A former Costa Mesa police officer has been charged with accessing ALPR images to track his ex-wife, girlfriend and a third person; the charges have not been resolved.
Councilmember Andrea Marr requested a June agenda item that would let the council end the Flock agreement; staff instead placed a presentation recommending the cameras be retained, with the option for the council to provide feedback and direction.
The article notes the Los Angeles Police Department is renegotiating its Flock contract for 138 cameras after temporarily pausing the program over privacy concerns.

Sources

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

Could Flock cameras wing their way out of Costa Mesa? Heads will weigh in Tuesday. (Los Angeles Times, July 17, 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 August 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.