The Marin County Sheriff's Office arrested a man suspected of identity theft and financial elder abuse, crediting Flock license-plate cameras with helping make the case.

The sheriff's Investigative Team, working with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, took the suspect into custody on suspicion of identity theft and financial elder abuse, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said in a Thursday, Sept. 3, post on X. The agency said Flock cameras aided the investigation and helped deputies make the arrest in what it called a safe area.

Details remain sparse. The sheriff's office did not release information about the alleged victim, the location of the arrest or the specific role the cameras played. No formal charges had been announced as of Sept. 4.

The arrest comes as Marin County continues to debate how its law enforcement agencies use Flock Safety's automated license-plate reader technology.

On Aug. 18, the Marin County Board of Supervisors adopted a new data security policy governing how digital information is shared internally and with outside vendors, the Marin Independent Journal reported. The policy requires the county's chief information security officer, Jason Balderama, to classify data as public, confidential or restricted before it can be shared.

Supervisor Dennis Rodoni raised concerns about the cameras at that Aug. 18 meeting, according to the Marin Independent Journal. "We issue a contract to Flock for a certain number of cameras in a certain number of locations then suddenly I see where the locations don't match up with what I approved," Rodoni said. "That's mission creep."

Supervisor Mary Sackett also questioned oversight at the same meeting, asking who controls the data the cameras collect, the paper reported.

A separate $1.5 million contract for improved data sharing among the county's law enforcement agencies, postponed in May, is tentatively set to return to the Board of Supervisors by October, County Executive Derek Johnson told the Marin Independent Journal.

The policy debate extends beyond Marin. CalMatters reported that California's Legislature failed for the fifth consecutive year to pass regulations on automated license-plate readers. Senate Bill 1013, which would have strengthened privacy protections on plate data, was stopped in the Assembly on Aug. 31, the final day of the legislative session.

Lawmakers cited instances in Marin and six other California counties in which license-plate readers were allegedly used by officers to stalk or harass private citizens, according to CalMatters.

Nationally, 93 cities and counties ended their Flock contracts in August alone, a fourfold increase from the previous month, according to Secure Justice, an Oakland-based advocacy group tracked by Ars Technica.

Residents who suspect elder abuse can contact Marin County Adult Protective Services at 415-473-2774, a 24/7 line, or the Marin County District Attorney's Elder Abuse Program at 415-473-5050.