Action packet · Generated Aug 15, 2026

Berkeley, California

Everything Unsurveilled holds about this place, what it does not, the single most useful question to ask next, and the letter that asks it.

Jump to the request Print this packet

What we know

What we hold: One documented decision, and no full dossier yet
Decision: Renewed · May 7, 2026 · Flock Safety
Decided by: Berkeley City Council

Documented decisions here

Renewed — May 7, 2026 · At a special meeting, the Berkeley City Council voted 5-4 to approve a 12-month, $200,000 extension of its Flock Safety ALPR contract, then voted 8-1 to reject a proposed expansion that would have added fixed cameras, community video streams, first-responder drones and criminal investigations software.

What we do not know

These are published rather than left blank. An unresolved question a resident can answer is worth more than a page that looks finished.

Retention period — not established
Outbound sharing — not established
Warrant standard — not established
Audit policy — not established

Best next action

Request the surveillance technology inventory

We have not researched Berkeley yet. An inventory request is how a place gets a record — it asks the government to list what it operates, which is the one question that opens all the others.

Establishes What surveillance technology this government operates, in its own words

Send this request

Written for Berkeley specifically. No blanks to fill except your own details at the bottom.

Citation read from the Reporters Committee Open Government Guide on 2026-08-15. California sets no numeric response deadline; the standard is promptness. Read the California guide

Download as .txt

To the Records Custodian, Berkeley, California

Re: Public records request — automated license plate readers

Under the California Public Records Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 7920.000 to 7930.215, I request copies of the following records.

1. A current inventory or list of surveillance technologies operated by or on behalf of Berkeley Police Department, including automated license plate readers, facial recognition, drones, gunshot detection, cell-site simulators, and networked camera systems.
2. For each technology listed, the vendor, the date it was acquired, and the policy governing its use.
3. Records showing whether Berkeley Police Department can access any surveillance system operated by another agency, including regional or vendor-hosted networks.

If any responsive record is withheld in whole or in part, please identify the record and cite the specific exemption relied upon.

I request records in electronic format where they exist in that form. If fulfilling this request would incur fees, please provide an estimate before proceeding.

Thank you for your assistance.

[Your name]
[Your address, if required in California]
[Your email]

General information, not legal advice. You are responsible for what you send. Public-records law varies by state and sometimes by agency.

Where to send it

We do not hold a checked records contact for Berkeley. Unsurveilled will not guess a government address from a naming convention — a wrong recipient wastes your request and undermines everything else on this page. Search for “Berkeley California public records request” and use the address on the jurisdiction’s own site.

Then tell us which one worked. That single fact is the most useful thing a person who has just sent a request can send back, and it means nobody after you has to look. Send it here.

When you get a response

Save the original email or PDF exactly as it arrived, including headers.
Check every numbered item was answered. Partial responses are common and are usually resolved by pointing out the gap.
If the answer is “no responsive records”, that is itself a finding — but ask whether it means the agency does not operate the technology, or simply holds no document. Those are different answers.
If you are quoted a fee, ask for a narrower scope rather than abandoning the request.
Send us what came back. A records response is what turns a decision record into a dossier, and it closes the gaps listed above for everyone, not just for you.

Packet generated Aug 15, 2026 from the Unsurveilled record for Berkeley. Facts change; check the record before relying on this in a public setting. Guide: Find out what surveillance your city actually operates.