Documented Incident
Santa Barbara ends Flock Safety contract; city staff propose Verkada ALPR replacement
First reported: August 25, 2026 · 6 sources
The City of Santa Barbara has terminated its contract with Flock Safety, with officials pointing to privacy concerns and questions about how automated license plate reader data could be shared with outside agencies. The city currently has 12 Flock cameras, which city staff recommend replacing with cameras from Verkada under a system the city would own and operate as a closed network. The proposed replacement, estimated at roughly $57,000 plus about $6,000 to remove the Flock cameras, was scheduled for City Council consideration on Tuesday. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office operates a separate Flock system that is unaffected by the city's decision.
The case shows a city acting on data-sharing objections to one ALPR vendor while still weighing continued license plate surveillance under a different arrangement, a distinction other communities reviewing Flock contracts may face.
Key facts
- Santa Barbara ended its Flock Safety contract; the city has 12 Flock cameras installed.
- Councilmember Wendy Santamaria said residents had been clear in opposing what she described as unwarranted mass surveillance.
- Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez credited the technology with helping police identify suspects and find missing people, but objected to data being shared with other agencies without city consent.
- Staff recommended a Verkada system, city-owned with data kept in a closed system, at about $57,000, plus roughly $6,000 to remove the Flock cameras.
- Ian Paige of Indivisible Santa Barbara said the replacement would still allow police access to movement data without a warrant, and raised risks of legal process or hacking.
- The County Sheriff's Office Flock system is separate and not affected.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Santa Barbara ends Flock camera contract, considers replacement surveillance system (News Channel 3-12, August 25, 2026)
- Santa Barbara City Council Delays Decision on Flock Camera Replacement (News Channel 3-12, August 26, 2026)
- Santa Barbara City Council Votes to Remove Flock Cameras, Delays Decision on Replacement System (edhat, August 26, 2026)
- Santa Barbara ends Flock camera contract amid surveillance concerns (nypost.com, August 27, 2026)
- Santa Barbara ends its contract with Flock (KCBX, August 27, 2026)
- Santa Barbara ends its contract with Flock (kcbx.org, August 27, 2026)
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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 3, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.