Santa Barbara, CA Flock Contract

Who approved this?

No source names who approved this contract. That gap is common where a purchase cleared without a council vote.

Santa Barbara's contract with Flock Safety ended on August 23, 2026 and the city did not renew it. The police department had operated 12 Flock automated license plate recognition cameras since late 2023. At the August 25, 2026 meeting the council took no vote on Police Chief Kelly Gordon's recommendation to move to Verkada, and instead directed staff to bring the full automated camera policy back for review in early 2027. Councilmember Meagan Harmon said privacy concerns are not going away and continue to grow. Kristen Sneddon opposed a renewal, while Mike Jordan and Eric Friedman pointed to crimes the cameras helped solve and Wendy Santamaria backed a public discussion. Public opposition centered on federal immigration agencies gaining access to license plate data. Neither source states the contract amount, the funding source, the term length or the original approval date and vote.