Fresno police Flock renewal faces scrutiny after audit reviewed 3 searches
Fresno’s expected renewal of its Flock license-plate-reader contract is facing a local oversight question: During one reviewed month, the system logged thousands of searches, but the Fresno Police Department’s detailed compliance review examined only three.
The issue comes as Flock announces new controls for law-enforcement customers. Fresno officials have not yet taken renewal action in the cited Aug. 13, 2026 City Council agenda, and any later-2026 decision will have to weigh the technology’s claimed investigative value against questions about privacy, data access and audit depth.
Thousands of searches, three examined
A July 21 investigation by GV Wire reported that Fresno’s automated license-plate-reader system scanned more than 21 million plates from Sept. 14 through Oct. 13, 2025. Officers conducted 8,318 searches during that period, and 506 users were active on the system.
Those figures describe plate scans and searches, not 21 million unique vehicles or 21 million investigative leads.
According to the investigation, Fresno police’s audit selected 100 searches and then randomly chose three for detailed review. The department concluded that the reviewed searches complied with policy. That finding does not establish misconduct, but the small sample raises a question about how the city evaluates compliance across a high-volume surveillance system.
Police cite investigative value
Police Chief Mindy Casto supports renewing Fresno’s Flock contract. Fresno police have cited the technology’s use in murder and shooting investigations as evidence that it can help investigators locate vehicles and develop leads.
Those assertions are separate from the audit finding. The reported review addressed whether three selected searches followed department policy; it did not independently measure the system’s overall effectiveness or examine every search made during the period.
Fresno City Council approved a three-year Flock agreement in February 2024 for up to $1,498,690.41. A November 2024 amendment increased the total contract amount to $1,668,440.41 and added the Department of Public Utilities’ Water Division to the subscription. The expected renewal decision later in 2026 would be a separate future action.
Flock announces new requirements
On Aug. 13, Flock announced platform changes that it says will become mandatory for law-enforcement customers by Jan. 1.
The changes include an audit tool designed to flag abnormal search behavior. Flock said a user could be locked out while an internal review takes place after abnormal activity is detected.
Officers will also be required to enter a records-management code tying each search to a specific case before running it. Emergency overrides will be automatically flagged for review.
Flock said customers will be able to decide which offense categories outside agencies may search for in their data, including categories such as homicide or arson. The company also said it is shortening standard data retention from 30 days to seven days, while allowing information tied to a case number to be preserved longer as evidence.
Those are announced company requirements, not confirmation that Fresno has adopted or implemented them. They also do not establish whether Fresno will expand its own audit sample, change department policy or add independent oversight.
What Fresno residents should watch
The practical decision point is Fresno’s expected later-2026 contract-renewal debate. Residents may want to examine how officials address public-safety benefits, privacy protections, retention periods, outside-agency searches, records access and the department’s ability to demonstrate compliance.
The Fresno City Council’s Aug. 13 agenda contained no Flock item, so it is not evidence that the council approved, rejected or formally scheduled a renewal.
The next verifiable developments will be a renewal proposal or contract record, any updated Fresno police audit or policy documents, and confirmation of whether the department implements Flock’s announced controls. Until then, the central accountability question remains open: whether new platform safeguards will meaningfully address the limits of Fresno’s existing oversight process.
Sources
- GV Wire investigation on Fresno police Flock searches and audit
- Associated Press report on Flock platform changes
- City of Fresno Flock Safety agreement records
- City of Fresno Police Department Records and Reports
Look for updates to this story
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.