San Francisco's Flock Cameras: What the New 30-Day Retention Rules Change

Mission Local reported that the new policy requires deletion from SFPD's Flock portal 30 days after capture, down from up to 12 months. It also reported an exception: an officer seeking to keep footage longer must show it is needed for an active investigation and obtain a supervisor's approval.

KQED described the change as SFPD personnel losing access to plate data after 30 days. CBS Bay Area, citing the Mayor's Office, reported removal from Flock's platform after 30 days, with police retaining exclusive control of the data. These accounts describe related but not identical parts of data handling. Readers should not assume a universal 30-day destruction rule for investigative records, exports or every copy held elsewhere.

KQED reported that each active search must be connected to a specific incident number, with the reason and searching officer recorded. CBS reported that a computer-aided dispatch or incident number is required. Mission Local described an incident-report requirement.

The announced oversight includes monthly SFPD reviews and independent Department of Police Accountability audits. Mission Local said annual audits were requested; KQED described regular independent audits and required training. These controls matter only if they are implemented, checked and followed up when a search lacks a lawful purpose.

The rules followed scrutiny of outside access to San Francisco's ALPR records. Mission Local reported more than 1.6 million improper out-of-state and federal searches and a Human Rights Commission review. KQED also reported improper outside access, without using that same total. The figures should not be read as a count of unique drivers or proof that every search was immigration enforcement.

Officials argued that cameras help public safety and said the city would keep them, KQED reported. A policy announcement and a claim about crime reduction are different kinds of evidence: neither alone establishes that the new safeguards are working.

CBS reported that SFPD already prohibits ALPR use for civil immigration enforcement, investigating people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care, and monitoring First Amendment activity. Those purpose restrictions are distinct from the new retention and audit measures.

Officials also said they would seek stronger state penalties for misuse. That was a legislative proposal, not an enacted penalty in the reporting reviewed here.

The San Francisco map shows reported locations labeled Community Confirmed or 3rd Party / Unconfirmed, not a complete city-owned camera inventory or evidence of who searched a record. To assess the new policy, request its effective date, deletion and export rules, audit findings and handling of investigation exceptions. Our methodology and public-records guide explain the map's limits and how to start a records request.

Mission Local said rollout timing was unclear when it reported the announcement. We have not independently verified a completed rollout, deletion logs or the treatment of every saved export. The sources differ in how they describe deletion versus access. This guide summarizes the announced rules rather than certifying implementation.