Add The California Post on Google A posh California community is up in arms after Flock cameras were installed by its homeowners association after the city admitted it mistakenly approved them.
The controversy erupted in Brentwood’s nearly 800-home Shadow Lakes development, where residents raised privacy concerns after discovering the cameras operated by the HOA throughout the neighborhood, according to the Mercury News.
Brentwood officials acknowledged the city issued an encroachment permit under the “mistaken understanding” the cameras were part of the Brentwood Police Department’s existing surveillance network.
The city has now begun revoking the permit installed in the public right-of-way, acting City Manager Terrance Davis told the outlet.
Once the permit is revoked, Flock Safety must remove the cameras and restore the affected areas to their previous condition, Davis said.
Meanwhile, ABC7 reported that four Flock cameras had been installed at entrances and exits to the Shadow Lakes development.
The devices are automated license plate readers that identify details including a vehicle’s plate, make, model and color, according to Flock Safety.
The company says its cameras do not use facial recognition. Several residents said they had no idea the privately operated system had been installed.
Nathan Fruth, who lives on a street outside the homeowners association, called the situation a “massive breach of privacy.”
“This is not a gated community. It’s a public street, and the people driving on it aren’t all members of the HOA,” Fruth told Mercury News.
“If the city wants cameras on public streets, that’s a decision that should be made by the city with public oversight. It shouldn’t be something a private organization can decide on its own.”
Resident Tali Hoffman, whose home directly faces one of the cameras told the news outlet the setup feels “pretty invasive.”
“I have to keep out of view, not because I am doing anything wrong, but it’s right there. I don’t feel comfortable, and it’s a little creepy.”
The Shadow Lakes HOA, however, maintains that residents were informed about the system before it was installed.
The association told ABC7 that residents were notified through multiple communications and that the cameras were discussed at open forum meetings between November 2025 and June 2026.
“While the Association made multiple efforts to communicate the project, we recognize that individual homeowners may not have seen or opened every communication that was distributed,” it explained to the network.
The association said “management” is the only administrator with access to its Flock system and that captured data is retained for 30 days.
The cameras photograph license plates of vehicles entering and leaving the community and are not intended to provide continuous surveillance of residents or their homes, the HOA added.
The association said it installed the technology amid ongoing concerns about crime and property theft in Shadow Lakes.
Before installing Flock, the HOA said it was spending approximately $300,000 a year on round-the-clock roving security patrols.
But the cameras have sparked broader questions about privately controlled surveillance on public streets.
The city already operates 62 Flock license plate readers through the Brentwood Police Department, which are reportedly used in accordance with applicable law enforcement rules.
City officials also plan to discuss potential regulations governing privately owned Flock cameras at a future City Council meeting.
The Post contacted the HOA and Brentwood council for further comment.
