Cupertino Halts Use of Automated License-Plate Readers
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office will cease using automated license-plate readers in Cupertino and Saratoga following a vote by the Board of Supervisors. The decision ends the use of the Flock surveillance system in the cities, raising questions about alternative crime-fighting technologies.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to amend the county's Surveillance Use Policy, specifically prohibiting the Sheriff's Office from operating or accessing data from ALPRs provided by Flock Safety. This decision directly impacts Cupertino, Saratoga, and Los Altos Hills, as the Sheriff's Office serves as their contracted police force. While the county's action blocks deputies from using the system, it does not compel the cities to terminate their individual contracts with Flock Safety. This move follows months of escalating concerns and backlash regarding Flock Safety's data-sharing practices with federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Although the Santa Clara County Sheriff has stated they have never shared ALPR data with any federal agency, the vote reflects a broader distrust of the vendor's safeguards. A recent lawsuit filed in San Francisco accuses Flock of creating an "Orwellian mass-surveillance infrastructure" and illegally sharing data with out-of-state and federal entities. Investigations by groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have fueled the controversy, alleging that Flock's system is susceptible to abuse and has been used to track protesters and people seeking reproductive healthcare. These privacy concerns are not unique to Santa Clara; a recent audit in Ventura County found its data was accessed by out-of-state agencies over 364,000 times without knowledge or approval. The Sheriff's Office has defended the technology's effectiveness, citing that since 2022, ALPRs in the West Valley helped recover over 50 stolen vehicles, locate 30 stolen plates, and contribute to 66 arrests and five missing person cases. Sheriff Robert Jonsen emphasized that these tools are crucial for solving violent crimes. Cupertino officials now face the task of reviewing their contract and budget to decide on a path forward. The debate over ALPRs is part of a larger, nationwide conversation about the role of AI-powered surveillance in law enforcement, weighing potential crime-fighting benefits against the risks to civil liberties and data privacy.
