Automated license plate cameras have been showing up in retail parking lots nationwide as stores lean on companies like Flock Safety to fight theft. Emery | Reddy has identified this kind of camera at both DICK’S Sporting Goods and Dollar Tree in the Stanford Ranch Crossing shopping center in Roseville, California, and is investigating whether either store is following the state law that governs this kind of surveillance.
Stanford Ranch Crossing is a shopping center in Roseville, California that includes a DICK’S Sporting Goods at 6740 Stanford Ranch Rd and a Dollar Tree at 6748 Stanford Ranch Rd, just a few doors apart. Automated license plate readers (ALPR), the kind of camera technology sold by vendors like Flock Safety, have increasingly appeared in retail parking lots nationwide as major chains, including Lowe’s, Costco, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart, have acknowledged using this technology to help deter and investigate theft and fraud.
Emery | Reddy has identified license plate camera equipment at both the DICK’S Sporting Goods and the Dollar Tree locations at Stanford Ranch Crossing and is investigating whether either store is complying with California’s law governing private license plate readers. These are separate potential legal claims against two separate companies, but both cameras were identified in the same shopping center.
California regulates private ALPR use under Civil Code Sections 1798.90.51 through 1798.90.55. Any business that operates an ALPR system, including a retailer using cameras in its parking lot, must write a usage and privacy policy covering specific points, including:
That policy must be posted somewhere the public can actually find it, not buried behind several links or omitted entirely. A shopper does not have to prove their data was misused or shared to have a claim. Under the statute, a business that fails to meet these requirements can be liable for a minimum of $2,500 in statutory damages per person, per violation. This applies separately to each business, so a shopper who visited both stores could potentially have a claim against each one.
DICK’S Sporting Goods, 6740 Stanford Ranch Rd
Emery | Reddy is investigating whether the DICK’S Sporting Goods store at 6740 Stanford Ranch Rd in Roseville is operating its license plate camera in compliance with California’s ALPR Privacy Act, including whether a compliant usage and privacy policy has been written and posted where shoppers can find it.
Dollar Tree, 6748 Stanford Ranch Rd
Emery | Reddy is separately investigating whether the Dollar Tree store at 6748 Stanford Ranch Rd, in the same shopping center, is meeting that same legal duty.
If you shopped at either store and drove into its parking lot, your license plate may have been scanned and logged. You do not need to have noticed a camera or a policy, or the lack of one, to have a potential claim. And if you shopped at both stores, you may have separate potential claims against each one.
Do You Have Legal Options?
California businesses that operate license plate readers have a legal duty to write and publicly post a compliant privacy policy. If either of these Stanford Ranch Crossing stores did not meet that duty, shoppers who visited may have a claim worth pursuing.
What is an automated license plate reader (ALPR)?
An ALPR is a camera system that reads a passing car’s license plate and turns it into searchable data. Systems like Flock Safety’s also typically record the date, time, and location of each scan.
Are DICK’S Sporting Goods and Dollar Tree part of the same investigation?
They are separate legal claims against two separate companies. Emery | Reddy identified license plate cameras at both stores, which happen to sit in the same Stanford Ranch Crossing shopping center in Roseville. If you shopped at one or both stores, we want to hear from you.
Do these stores use these cameras at all their locations nationwide?
Emery | Reddy has not confirmed whether this practice extends beyond these two Roseville, California locations. This investigation is currently focused on the stores at Stanford Ranch Crossing.
Do I have to prove my license plate data was misused to have a claim?
No. Under California’s ALPR Privacy Act, a business can be liable simply for failing to write and post a required usage and privacy policy. You do not have to prove the data was shared or misused.
How much can a violation be worth?
The statute sets a minimum of $2,500 in statutory damages per person, per violation, for each business found to be non-compliant. The exact value of a claim depends on the facts of each case.
Do I have a legal claim?
You may. California businesses that run license plate readers have a legal duty to write and publicly post a compliant privacy policy. If you shopped at the DICK’S Sporting Goods or the Dollar Tree at Stanford Ranch Crossing in Roseville, contact the Data Privacy Attorneys at Emery | Reddy at 916.995.5968 or www.emeryreddy.com for a Free Case Review. No Fee Unless We Recover.
Whether you’ve been injured on the job, subjected to mistreatment in the workplace, or affected by a privacy breach, our expert attorneys are here to help.
