On July 14, 2026 I filed a second public records act request for information about the Visalia Police Department‘s use of the Flock Automated License Plate Reader system. In that request, I asked for information regarding any agreements or other documentation that would allow VPD to access any Flock cameras operated by the Visalia Economic Development Corporation, Lowe’s, and Home Depot. The following is what I received today, August 20, 2026.
No documents were presented regarding Lowe’s and Home Depot, so, assuming the lawyers are giving me the all the information the city has, there are no agreements of any kind for the Visalia Police Department to access any data collected by cameras owned by those companies.
Does that mean if VPD wanted to check that data, they’d have to get a subpoena? Can they simply call over and ask? If granted permission (and why would they not be?), do they have to go to the location and get access using the store’s system, or can they log in and take the data directly from Flock’s servers? I don’t know.
As far as the Visalia Economic Development Corporation is concerned, I’m not certain they’ve ever actually installed any cameras. One camera is shown in the industrial park, but I have as yet been unable to determine if that is part of the VPD network, or is operated by VEDC. At approximately $3,000 each per year, VEDC may not have the money to maintain the subscription.
What’s more interesting is the letter from the VEDC to a rather extensive email list about Flock needing to preserve data due to a class-action lawsuit that is pending. Check out some of the people they sent it to:
A Visalia City Council member, the Visalia City Manager, the Visalia Assistant City Manager, someone at Southern California Edison, two or more construction companies, the Visalia Unified School District Superintendent, the Tulare County Office of Education Superintendent, and several others identified by name only. Why most of them need to be informed about a class action lawsuit against Flock is puzzling.
The City of Visalia has closed out this public records request, telling me “no other records matching your request exist or are in the possession of the City of Visalia”.
My previous Flock-related posts:
- What the Flock?
- Well, Flock Me!
- More Flock, more fun
- Flock you later
- Flock the Lawyers
- Flock Me A Little Bit
- Tick tock tick Flock
- The Final Flock – and the answer is “NO”
- Hidden in the Flock
- Reason me this, Flock
- Flock Me – Round 2
- Another Flock of Cameras in Visalia
- The Flock Was Startled
- Half A Million Flocks in May, 2026
P.S. – Since Visalia is using grant money for the first four years of this contract, there has been no ongoing expense for the city. They will eventually have 22 cameras up, which could result in a $66,000 a year cost to maintain the system, once those grants expire. Your tax dollars are and will be paying to surveil you every time you drive by a Flock camera. Smile, won’t you?
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