Oakland's $2.25M Flock contract remains unsigned nine months after council approved safeguards

First reported: September 22, 2026 · 1 source

The Oakland City Council approved a $2.25 million, two-year agreement with Flock Safety in December, attaching amendments meant to prevent misuse of license plate reader data, including a ban on out-of-state agency access, real-time breach notifications, quarterly certifications, up to $200,000 in penalties for unauthorized sharing, and four compliance audits by the city auditor. As of this reporting, the city attorney's office confirmed the contract still has not been executed. The City Attorney declined to comment on whether the safeguards or penalties are enforceable absent a signed contract, and the City Administrator's office and Flock did not respond to interview requests. It is unclear whether the city is currently paying for Flock's services or whether the past nine months would be covered retroactively.

Why this matters

Council-imposed conditions on surveillance contracts only constrain vendors if they are executed and enforceable, raising questions about the gap between publicly announced safeguards and operational practice. Other jurisdictions negotiating similar ALPR terms may face the same question of who verifies that approved protections are actually in force.

Key facts

Oakland City Council approved the $2.25 million, two-year Flock deal in December; the agreement is slated to expire in December 2027.
Council amendments bar out-of-state and national or multi-state searches of Oakland data, require real-time alerts on access changes, quarterly certifications, and allow penalties of up to $200,000 for unauthorized sharing.
A city attorney spokesperson said on Sept. 9 the contract was not final but expected soon, and said this week it still has not been executed.
The Oakland Observer first reported that OPD had not finalized the agreement.
The San Francisco Standard reported last year that SFPD illegally shared Oakland Flock data with federal agencies; former Privacy Advisory Commission member Brian Hofer has a pending lawsuit alleging OPD violated state law in sharing Flock data.
Oakland's agreement uses a 30-day retention period; Flock announced in August it now recommends a seven-day default.

Sources

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

Flock’s Oakland cameras are tracking millions of trips. Are safeguards enforceable? (The Oaklandside, September 22, 2026)

More from California

Everything we have documented in California, or search every California article in the archive.

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 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.