San Diego police begin logging reasons for Flock ALPR searches; 'other' cited nearly 4,000 times

First reported: September 20, 2026 · 1 source

The San Diego Police Department started publishing the stated reasons officers give when querying its automated license plate reader network, which spans 500 locations across the city. Of 114,692 searches logged since the start of the year, the most common stated reasons were stolen vehicles (19,210), arrest warrants (17,141) and gunfire or weapons offenses (13,221), together about 43% of searches from January through July, according to data obtained and analyzed by Times of San Diego. The 11th most common category was 'other,' used 3,962 times from January through August; SDPD says officers must enter more detail in those cases, but that detail is not publicly released. Department spokesperson Ashley Nicholes said the reason field and a required case number were audit improvements developed with Flock to increase transparency and accountability.

Why this matters

Search-reason logging is one of the main accountability mechanisms offered for ALPR systems, and San Diego's data shows how a catch-all 'other' category and unreleased detail fields can limit what the public can actually verify. Other jurisdictions weighing similar audit requirements may look to how San Diego implemented and disclosed them under its TRUST Ordinance.

Key facts

SDPD has ALPR cameras at 500 locations citywide; 114,692 searches were logged since the start of the year.
Top stated reasons: stolen vehicles (19,210), arrest warrants (17,141), gunfire/weapons offenses (13,221).
'Other' was selected 3,962 times from January through August; supporting detail is not publicly released.
The dataset contains 152 distinct search reasons; SDPD says queries such as 'immigration' or 'reproductive care' trigger an automatic shutdown.
The disclosures follow allegations elsewhere of officer misuse and a case in which two San Diego men said they were wrongly linked to an attempted carjacking via ALPR data; those claims have not been adjudicated.

Sources

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

SDPD now discloses why officers search Flock license plate readers. Nearly 4,000 times, the reason was ‘other.’ (Times of San Diego, September 20, 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 21, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.