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Police chief responds to data sharing controversy

Police chief responds to data sharing controversy

Calls from Council to discontinue use of license plate reading cameras
The City Council, with guidance from the City Attorney, will decide the fate of Chico Police Department’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) data sharing program, Chief Billy Aldridge said in a press release today. “Throughout this evaluation process, access will remain restricted until further guidance is given by legal counsel and leadership of the city,” Aldridge said in a press …

ALPR data sharing

Reporters Elias Myers and Ryan Sabalow spoke about the Chico Police Department sharing of Automated License Plate Reader data with federal agencies to a wide audience on NorCal Public Media’s North Bay 101 podcast. Myers originally broke the story for ChicoSol on July 25; Sabalow studied journalism at Chico State University. In addition to broadcasting North Bay 101 on KRCB, Sonoma County’s NPR station, NorCal shares its podcast with media outlets throughout Northern California. Listen to the report here.

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August 18, 6:00pm Chico City Council
Location: 421 Main St, Chico, CA 95928, USA
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September 1, 6:00pm Chico City Council
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September 15, 6:00pm Chico City Council
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September 22, 9:00am Butte County Board of Supervisors
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Chico PD granted ICE, Border Patrol, access to its ALPR data

Chico PD granted ICE, Border Patrol, access to its ALPR data

The Chico Police Department says it has shut off license plate reader data sharing that, until July 8, appears to …
Vigil for those recently killed by ICE

Vigil for those recently killed by ICE

This story was updated at 7 a.m. July 15, 2026. About 60 people lined the edge of Children’s Park or …

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Reader Comments

Aug 06
“Glad you found the “z” and other letters too!”
Marybeth Lorbiecki on Looking for the ‘z’
Aug 06
“Wow: “I do trust that the police employees have been candid in regard to everything that’s been going on,” Winslow said. “I don’t think anyone at the police department has a full…”
Aug 06
“I am also concerned just about how much of my personal information Chico Pd is giving from this system. It’s one thing for them to be informed if the driver of a…”
Aug 06
“Concerned community for Justice plans to be in attendance at the August 18 City Council Meeting expressing dismay over the violations of California state laws SB 34 and SB 54 by Chico…”

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