EFF, ACLU Say Marin Sheriff Shared License-Plate Data With Out-of-State and Federal Agencies

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU of Northern California on Thursday sent a demand letter and public-records request to Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina, saying the sheriff’s office may have violated California law and a 2022 legal settlement by allowing out-of-state and federal agencies to access Marin’s Flock Safety automated license plate reader data.

The groups said the issue surfaced after a Sept. 30 report by the Point Reyes Light that cited network audit logs showing the Marin County Sheriff’s Office gave non-California agencies access to its Flock database. According to the EFF and ACLU letter, those audit logs showed the sheriff’s office shared ALPR information with multiple out-of-state and federal agencies in the final months of 2024, including 254,131 times in November 2024 alone. That figure comes from the audit logs cited by the newspaper and the letter.

EFF and the ACLU of Northern California said they want records and an explanation of how outside agencies obtained access, what the sheriff’s office has done since learning of the issue, and what steps it will take to prevent any repeat. They are also asking for a compliance audit, corrective action and an explanation for why the public and the county inspector general were not informed after the issue was discovered.

In their letter, the groups wrote that “MCSO’s November 2024 audit report shows that your office has violated not only SB 34, but the terms of the Lagleva Settlement Agreement as well.” The legal backdrop is central to the dispute. California law limits how automated license plate reader data may be shared, and the California Department of Justice said in 2023 that SB 34 “does not permit California law enforcement agencies to share ALPR information with private entities or out-of-state or federal agencies.” The groups also said any sharing for immigration-enforcement purposes could raise separate issues under SB 54, California’s law limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The allegations carry added weight in Marin because the sheriff’s office was already sued over similar conduct. In October 2021, community activists sued then-Sheriff Robert Doyle in Lagleva v. Doyle, alleging the office had shared license plate and location data with federal and out-of-state agencies. The case ended in a June 1, 2022, settlement in which the sheriff agreed to stop sharing license plate and location information with agencies outside California to comply with SB 34 and SB 54.

The new letter argues the problem may have reappeared after that agreement was in place. It says Marin’s November 2024 audit report indicates violations of both SB 34 and the Lagleva settlement, and asks Scardina to account for how that happened.

Automated license plate readers are camera systems that capture vehicle images and upload plate and location data into a searchable database.

County oversight records show the matter was already under local review before Thursday’s letter. A June 8, 2026, Marin County Civilian Oversight Commission packet included a community memo saying 2024 Flock audit spreadsheets had been obtained through public-records requests and were being analyzed. As of Oct. 1, no public response addressing the EFF and ACLU letter was identified on the sheriff’s public website.