The department points to Policy 428 as proof its license-plate and drone surveillance is overseen and accountable. Every line below is quoted verbatim from that policy — and every one of them undercuts the promise.
It comes down to one word
Policy 428 says audits “should be conducted monthly.” In policy language, “should” is discretionary — a recommendation, not a requirement. “Shall” is mandatory. As written, an officer could skip every single monthly audit and violate nothing. That one word is the difference between real oversight and a suggestion.
“The ALPR system is audited every month.”
“ALPR system audits should be conducted monthly by the Real Time Information Center Supervisor.”§428.6(c)
“Should,” not “shall.” The audit is optional by the policy's own wording.
“There's oversight of how the system gets used.”
The auditor is the department's own “Real Time Information Center Supervisor.”§428.6(c), §428.2
The department audits itself. No city council, no civilian board, no independent reviewer appears anywhere in the policy.
“Misuse of the data is strictly prohibited.”
Members “shall not use, or allow others to use the equipment or database records for any unauthorized purpose.”§428.3
Prohibited — with zero stated penalty. No discipline, fine, or referral named anywhere. A rule with no consequence is a suggestion.
“The program is transparent and accountable to residents.”
ALPR data “is not open to public review.”§428.7
The audits are shielded too. The public can never verify that an audit happened — or what it found.
“It's a tool to catch criminals.”
“Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using an ALPR.”§428.3(b)
Everyone is scanned and logged — not suspects, everyone. That's the Fourth Amendment problem, in the department's own words.
“We only share data with California agencies.”
Sharing is limited to California public agencies — “does not include out-of-state or federal law enforcement agencies.”§428.8
True on paper — but it runs on Flock's national network. In neighboring Ventura County, a Flock configuration error silently re-enabled national sharing and exposed 364,000 plate queries out of state. Nothing in the policy independently verifies Corona's promise holds.
The source document
Read it yourself. Every quote above is on these pages, published by the Corona Police Department and obtained through a public records request. Don't take our word for it — take theirs.