▮ No Flock Yucca Valley

Ask for the documents

This is the step that has actually changed outcomes. Not the arguing — the asking. Denver's council reversed after a resident obtained the search logs[7]. Austin's flipped after its own audit surfaced[10]. Neither council knew what its data was being used for until somebody filed a request.

It takes one email. You do not need a lawyer, a reason, or any connection to the case — under California law, any person may ask, and the agency has ten days to respond.

Get the all-in-one request

01How it worksCalifornia's Public Records Act gives any person the right to these records. You do not have to say why you want them.

Before you send

  1. Send it to both places

    Yucca Valley has no police department of its own — it contracts with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Whoever holds the contract holds the records, and we do not yet know which it is. Send the same request to the Town and to the Sheriff's Department.

  2. They have 10 days to respond

    Government Code section 7922.535. Note that responding is not the same asproducing — an agency may claim up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances. Keep the email; the clock is useful.

  3. Keep every reply

    A refusal is evidence too. So is "no responsive records exist" — that tells you the contract lives somewhere else, and it tells the Council something as well.

  4. Share whatever comes back

    Send it to us, to the Desert Trumpet, to Z107.7, or just post it. A document in public is worth more than a document in your inbox.

Where to send them

Use the Town's official contact channels and the Sheriff's station page — we link to them rather than reproducing addresses that could go stale.

02The templatesStart with the first one — it covers everything in a single email. The four below it are there if you would rather send narrower requests, or split them between people.

★Everything, in one emailStart here

Why this oneIf you send one request, send this. It asks for all four sets of records at once, plus the two things the Town has not answered: where the privacy policy the Council required went, and when the contract renews. One email, one 10-day clock, one paper trail.

What a good answer looks likeA single acknowledgement covering all items. Agencies sometimes split a broad request into parts with different production dates — that is normal, but hold them to the 10-day acknowledgement on the whole thing. If they call it unduly burdensome, ask them to say so in writing and to produce the items they can, which the Act requires.

Everything, in one email
Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), I request copies of the following records. I am a resident of Yucca Valley. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption claimed for each withheld record, and produce all reasonably segregable portions of the remainder, as required by Government Code section 7922.525. Please produce records in electronic form where they exist in electronic form. I request a waiver of fees, or notice before any fees exceed $25. If you are not the correct custodian of these records, please tell me which agency is. This request concerns the Town's automated license plate reader (ALPR) program with Flock Safety, authorized by the Town Council on September 16, 2025 as agenda item 2025-103. A. THE AGREEMENT 1. All contracts, agreements, order forms, statements of work, purchase orders, invoices, and amendments between this agency and Flock Safety (Flock Group Inc.) from January 1, 2022 to the present, including all executed signature pages. 2. Records showing the date the agreement was executed, and the date of "first installation and validation" of the hardware, which the agreement states is when the term commences. 3. Records showing the current term end date and the deadline for giving notice of non-renewal, which the agreement sets at thirty days prior to the end of the then-current term. 4. Records showing the total amount paid to Flock Safety to date, by fiscal year, and the funding source for each payment. B. THE POLICY THE COUNCIL REQUIRED 5. The automated license plate reader policy that the Town Council, by motion on September 16, 2025, directed staff to "develop and return ... for consideration and approval prior to program implementation." If it exists, please provide it and the date it was approved. If no such policy has been developed or approved, please state that in writing. 6. The agency's ALPR usage and privacy policy required by California Civil Code section 1798.90.51(b), including the date of adoption and the URL where it is published. 7. All records concerning the "Data Management Policy" that the Town Manager stated at the September 16, 2025 meeting would be brought before the Council for review. C. AUDITS AND SEARCH LOGS 8. All annual audits of ALPR searches conducted pursuant to Civil Code section 1798.90.51, for each year the system has operated. If no audit has been performed, please state that in writing. 9. All audit logs, search logs, or query records for the ALPR system for the past 24 months, including for each search: the date, the searching agency, the searching user or user identifier, the stated reason for the search, and the search terms used. I do not seek the license plate numbers of uninvolved members of the public, and I consent to redaction of specific plate numbers. I do seek the searching agency, the date, and the stated reason for each search. 10. Records showing which outside agencies have been granted access to this agency's ALPR data, and which sharing networks the agency participates in. 11. All records of searches of this agency's ALPR data by federal agencies or by agencies located outside California, and all records concerning compliance with Civil Code section 1798.90.55, which restricts that sharing. D. THE SYSTEM ITSELF 12. Records showing the number of ALPR cameras currently operating and the physical location of each, including installation maps, site lists, and pole permits. 13. Records showing the data retention period configured for this agency, any changes to it, and who authorized that configuration. 14. All records of complaints, misuse findings, disciplinary actions, or internal investigations relating to use of the ALPR system by agency personnel. 15. All records of any outage, malfunction, false alert, or misidentification involving the system. E. THE VENDOR 16. All correspondence, including email, between this agency and Flock Safety, its employees, or its representatives, from January 1, 2022 to the present. 17. All marketing materials, presentations, pilot proposals, and product documentation provided to this agency by Flock Safety. If producing all of the above at once is impractical, I ask that you produce records on a rolling basis as they become available, beginning with items 1, 5, 8, and 9. Please confirm receipt. I understand you must respond within 10 days under Government Code section 7922.535. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA] [YOUR EMAIL]

01The contract itself

Why this oneEstablishes who signed, for how many cameras, at what price, and — critically — the renewal date. The renewal date is the deadline the whole campaign works backward from.

What a good answer looks likeA signed agreement, a purchase order, and a staff report. If the agency says no responsive records exist, that is itself an answer worth having in writing: it means the contract sits at the county, not the town.

The contract itself
Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), I request copies of the following records. I am a resident of Yucca Valley. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption claimed for each withheld record, and produce all reasonably segregable portions of the remainder, as required by Government Code section 7922.525. Please produce records in electronic form where they exist in electronic form. I request a waiver of fees, or notice before any fees exceed $25. If you are not the correct custodian of these records, please tell me which agency is. 1. All contracts, agreements, purchase orders, quotes, invoices, and amendments between this agency and Flock Safety (also known as Flock Group Inc.) from January 1, 2020 to the present. 2. All records showing the number of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed, and the physical location of each, including any installation maps, site lists, or pole permits. 3. All records showing the term of the agreement, the renewal date, and the notice period required to terminate it. 4. All staff reports, presentations, or memoranda prepared for the Town Council or Board of Supervisors regarding ALPR cameras or Flock Safety. 5. All records of the total amount paid to Flock Safety to date, by fiscal year. Please confirm receipt. I understand you must respond within 10 days under Government Code section 7922.535. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA] [YOUR EMAIL]

02The usage policy and audits required by state law

Why this oneCalifornia Civil Code section 1798.90.51 requires any agency operating an ALPR system to publish a usage policy and conduct annual audits. If the agency cannot produce these, it is out of compliance with state law on its face — and that is a fact a council has to act on.

What a good answer looks likeA published policy document and an annual audit. A missing policy, or an audit that has never been performed, is the single strongest finding you can bring to a council meeting.

The usage policy and audits required by state law
Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), I request copies of the following records. I am a resident of Yucca Valley. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption claimed for each withheld record, and produce all reasonably segregable portions of the remainder, as required by Government Code section 7922.525. Please produce records in electronic form where they exist in electronic form. I request a waiver of fees, or notice before any fees exceed $25. If you are not the correct custodian of these records, please tell me which agency is. 1. The agency's ALPR usage and privacy policy, as required by California Civil Code section 1798.90.51(b), including the date it was adopted and the URL where it is published. 2. All annual audits of ALPR searches conducted pursuant to that policy, for each year the system has operated. 3. All records showing the designated administrator responsible for ALPR system oversight. 4. All records of the retention period applied to ALPR data, and any records of data destruction. 5. All training materials provided to personnel authorized to search the ALPR system. Please confirm receipt. I understand you must respond within 10 days under Government Code section 7922.535. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA] [YOUR EMAIL]

03The search logs — who looked, and why

Why this oneThis is the request that has changed outcomes. The logs show every search of local data: which agency ran it, when, and the stated reason. Denver's logs showed more than a thousand searches on behalf of federal immigration enforcement. Nobody knew until someone asked.

What a good answer looks likeA spreadsheet or export with one row per search. Look for out-of-state agencies, federal agencies, and reason fields that are blank, vague, or nonsense. Sharing ALPR data with out-of-state or federal agencies violates California Civil Code section 1798.90.55(b).

The search logs — who looked, and why
Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), I request copies of the following records. I am a resident of Yucca Valley. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption claimed for each withheld record, and produce all reasonably segregable portions of the remainder, as required by Government Code section 7922.525. Please produce records in electronic form where they exist in electronic form. I request a waiver of fees, or notice before any fees exceed $25. If you are not the correct custodian of these records, please tell me which agency is. 1. All audit logs, search logs, or query records for the agency's ALPR system for the past 24 months, including for each search: the date, the searching agency, the searching user or user identifier, the stated reason for the search, and the search terms used. I do not seek the license plate numbers of uninvolved members of the public, and I consent to redaction of specific plate numbers if the agency considers that necessary. I do seek the searching agency, the date, and the stated reason for each search. 2. All records showing which outside agencies have been granted access to this agency's ALPR data, including any national or statewide sharing networks the agency participates in. 3. All records showing any searches of this agency's ALPR data by federal agencies, or by agencies located outside California, including any records of the agency's review of such searches. 4. All records concerning compliance with California Civil Code section 1798.90.55(b), which restricts sharing ALPR information with out-of-state and federal agencies. Please confirm receipt. I understand you must respond within 10 days under Government Code section 7922.535. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA] [YOUR EMAIL]

04Communications with the vendor

Why this oneShows what the agency was told before it signed, and what it was told afterward. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a council revoked its approval one day after discovering the company had given it a false answer in a public meeting.

What a good answer looks likeEmails, sales decks, and pilot proposals. Compare the claims made in the sales material against what the agency's own audit logs show.

Communications with the vendor
Under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), I request copies of the following records. I am a resident of Yucca Valley. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specific exemption claimed for each withheld record, and produce all reasonably segregable portions of the remainder, as required by Government Code section 7922.525. Please produce records in electronic form where they exist in electronic form. I request a waiver of fees, or notice before any fees exceed $25. If you are not the correct custodian of these records, please tell me which agency is. 1. All correspondence, including email, between this agency and Flock Safety (Flock Group Inc.), its employees, or its sales representatives, from January 1, 2022 to the present. 2. All marketing materials, presentations, pilot proposals, or product documentation provided to this agency by Flock Safety. 3. All records of any complaints, incidents, misuse findings, disciplinary actions, or internal investigations relating to use of the ALPR system by agency personnel. 4. All records of any outage, malfunction, false alert, or misidentification involving the ALPR system. Please confirm receipt. I understand you must respond within 10 days under Government Code section 7922.535. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA] [YOUR EMAIL]