Monterey Park's Flock logs reveal potentially illegal searches

Dear friends and neighbors - After much community pressure and over a month of delay, the City released organizational logs showing searches conducted by MPPD on the City's Flock system (May '25 - Jul '26). While we wait for the City to release the network logs (which show how other agencies access Monterey Park's data), we've started analyzing the organizational logs. We've discovered potentially illegal and prohibited searches that show the City has no way to effectively audit or control Flock usage. Let's keep the pressure on to get Flock out of Monterey Park.Come to our community teach-in on Saturday, September 12 to learn more. In this newsletter: Findings from our analysis of Monterey Park's organizational logs. The logs from this analysis can be found inthisGoogle sheet and we have also published our findings onInstagram. Please join us at the teach-in this Saturday, September 12 to discuss ALPRs with experts and neighbors. RSVPhere. We are still waiting on the City to release the network logs; given these findings, residents deserve to know how our data has been used.Send a letterto the Council to release the network logs. These findings raise serious questions about the City's auditing process and ability to regulate Flock.The City owes the residents of Monterey Park honest and transparent answers to these questions. What we found: Potential illegal out-of-state searches:3 searches labeled 'henderson pd 25-16925' on October 3, 2025. There is no city named Henderson in California, but there are cities with that name in Nevada and other states. If these are out-of-state searches, they would be illegal under California lawSB-34. Potential illegal searches for a private company:5 searches labeled 'Nova Investigation' on May 9, 2025. There is an LA-based private investigation agency with this name. If these searches were run on behalf of this private company, they would be in violation of California Civil Code§ 1798.90.51. Unauthorized access to MPK data:428 'sidedoor' searches on behalf of other police departments, which may have exposed our data to unauthorized users. The ACLU has reported on 'sidedoor' access as a common way that federal agencies bypass state level restrictions. 53 of these 'sidedoor' searches were for departments who are currently blocked from accessing Monterey Park's Flock data, including LAPD (who have beencaughtpassing data illegally to ICE). Prohibited uses:188 searches related to traffic enforcement, which is explicitlyprohibitedby the City's Flock contract, with 82 of those searches in a span of 1 ½ hours, which corresponds to nationally reported patterns of misuse. Unauditable data:4,799 searches lack case numbers, which MPPD says are required for every Flock search and create an auditable trail. This means nearly a third of all searches are essentially happening in a black box and impossible to audit. We are hosting a resident-led Community Teach-In about Flock. The event will be an opportunity for residents to discuss ALPRs and learn from legal, policing, and civil experts. It is open to the public. Please join us and bring a neighbor: When: Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Where: George Elder Community Room, 1985 Wilcox Ave, Monterey Park, 91755. RSVPhere(optional, helpful for our planning purposes) Given our findings, we ask that the City release the remaining organizational logs from the initial CPRA dating to thebeginning of the City's contract with Flock, and furtherexpedite the release of the network logs, as it is in the public's interest to see how our data has been accessed by other agencies. Letter to Release the Network Logs Follow uson Instagram Sign the DeFlock petitionif you haven't already (this is not the same as the data center petition)