Capitola police chief says immigration officials’ access to its license plate reader database was a mistake

Federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies accessed data collected by automated license plate readers installed in Capitola on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2024 and early 2025, the city’s police chief confirmed Monday. Capitola Police Chief Sarah Ryan says these violations of a state law were a mistake. 

Law enforcement agencies outside of California, including federal agencies, searched the department’s automated license plate reader database more than three million times, with at least 190 of those searches done by sheriffs and police departments on behalf of immigration officials, according to Santa Cruz Local, which first reported on the local breach of state law. 

Capitola currently has 10 cameras throughout the city as part of its contract with Atlanta-based surveillance technology company Flock Safety. The City of Capitola signed its contract with Flock in April of last year. Ryan told Lookout that the police department was not aware that out-of-state law enforcement agencies could access Capitola’s Flock data.

“It came as a shock because we didn’t believe that was an option,” Ryan said Monday morning. She added that the department found out through a public records request that was filed in October for its network audit, which logs instances where other agencies have accessed data gathered by Capitola police, between 2024 and 2025. 

Ryan confirmed to Lookout that the violations were “not the result of any deliberate attempt by city staff to circumvent California law.” Under department policy, any information gathered by the license plate reader cameras is not shared for the purpose of federal immigration enforcement in compliance with the California Values Act, a state law that prohibits law enforcement agencies from using their resources to aid in immigration enforcement operations. 

“We’re in compliance with the law that we’re not sharing [data] out of state,” Ryan said. “We’re not working with the federal government in that way.” 

Ryan added that the department will conduct monthly audits to make sure it’s in compliance with state law, and has stopped sharing data with more than 300 law enforcement agencies. The department is going to implement a waiver system, where in order to access and share data collected by its cameras, agencies will need to affirm that they are in compliance with the California Values Act, she said. 

The department will no longer be sharing any of its data with the El Cajon Police Department in San Diego County, for example, said Ryan. The El Cajon police share their Flock camera data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies. “They are making a different choice, and so that’s their prerogative, but that’s not ours,” she said. 

Similar to the Watsonville Police Department, users searching through Capitola’s Flock database who try to use words like “ICE” or “Immigration” will be flagged by the tech company to block the search from continuing. Flock implemented this feature for California customers earlier this year. 

In September, the Watsonville City Council approved the renewal of its contract with Flock Safety and a plan to expand the use of cameras, adding 17 more license plate readers to its existing 20. Watsonville elected officials previously told Lookout that the expansion does not undermine the city’s status as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. 

Concerns over the surveillance technology have continued to grow across the county, with community members often citing reports of other agencies in California — not in Santa Cruz County — sharing data collected by the cameras with federal immigration agencies. Outside of the state, Flock has received criticism for sharing information directly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  

The cameras automatically log license plates and other identifying details about every car that passes through their field of view. The data collected is saved for 30 days, and can be accessed by other law enforcement agencies before being automatically deleted. 

Ryan added that she understands that there are people in the community who are afraid of immigration enforcement. “I don’t want people to be scared,” she said. “I’m here to protect the vulnerable from harm.” 

She said the public needs to give the technology the benefit of the doubt as law enforcement agencies gain more understanding of how the system works. Despite what she described as growing pains for how her department uses the technology, Flock cameras can be extremely helpful when it comes to solving cases. “We literally caught a serial sexual assault offender on Friday using Flock technology. So it absolutely is a fantastic tool,” Ryan said. 

In a separate written statement to Lookout, Ryan said the City of Capitola remains committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining trust with the community. “We remain sensitive to the use of emerging technology while continuing to explore solutions that support public safety, protect individual privacy, and build community trust,” she said. 

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