A Vallejo Police Department Facebook post includes a Monday date.
The Vallejo Police Department shared the post on Facebook.
Vallejo's Flock Camera Network
Vallejo's Flock Safety camera system had 131 automated license plate reader cameras citywide as of 2024, with a 30-day data retention window, according to the Atlas of Surveillance.
Vallejo Police Department records show that between June 2020 and October 2023, the ALPR network helped recover 227 stolen vehicles, supported 636 case investigations, and led to 238 arrests. The same department data shows why that automation has become so important to daily operations: sworn officer staffing fell from 103 officers in 2019 to just 79 by July 2023, cutting dedicated patrol officers from 56 down to 40.
Oversight Debate Over Camera Data Continues
The technology that flagged Monday's stolen Infiniti remains a live political issue in Vallejo. The city's Police Oversight and Accountability Commission and Surveillance Advisory Board held joint public review meetings this week to scrutinize VPD's auditing policies and data-sharing rules for the Flock system, as reported by The Vallejo Sun. Community advisory boards and privacy advocates have pressed for tighter data security and auditing protocols even as police maintain the cameras are essential for public safety.
After the crash, the driver fled the stolen vehicle on foot, climbing over a fence and attempting to scale a second before officers caught up with him. He resisted attempts to detain him before being taken into custody, police said. K9 Stryker then alerted officers to a firearm on the front passenger floorboard of the Infiniti.
Loaded Gun Had Illegal Conversion Device
Officers recovered a loaded, unregistered firearm equipped with a conversion device designed to let a semiautomatic weapon fire automatically, according to the Vallejo Police Department. Under California Penal Code Sections 16880 and 32625, possessing a firearm with such a device — commonly called a switch — reclassifies the weapon as a machine gun, carrying state prison penalties of four, six, or eight years, per the Giffords Law Center. Law enforcement agencies across Northern California have reported more of these illegal switches turning up during traffic stops and pursuits, a trend that shaped California Assembly Bill 1127, introduced in March 2025 to target convertible handguns and pistol converters, according to LegiScan.
K9 Stryker has previously helped Vallejo police capture a suspect. In a 15-mile I-80 chase in August, the same K9 helped capture a felon. Stryker and his handler completed the Top Dog Basic Handler Course with honors in 2024, a program backed in part by a $40,000 donation from the Syar Foundation to expand the department's canine unit.
California Law on Reckless Evading
Police say the driver had multiple felony firearm-related convictions and was on active Contra Costa County probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm at the time of the chase. Under California Penal Code Section 29800, possessing a firearm after a felony conviction is itself punishable by up to three years in prison or county jail and fines up to $10,000, according to FindLaw.
California Vehicle Code Section 2800.2 addresses reckless evading and carries up to one year in county jail or state prison, per Eisner Gorin LLP.
The driver was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance before being booked into Solano County Jail, police said. The Vallejo Police Department recovered the stolen Infiniti and notified its owner, and secured the recovered firearm into evidence. In its post on the incident, the department described its approach to the city as rooted in partnership, accountability, consistency, and transparency.
