San Jose Police Restrict License Plate Reader Data

The San Jose Police Department operates a vast network of nearly 500 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras across the city. This system, provided by the company Flock Safety, captures images of vehicles and license plates, creating a detailed log of vehicle movements. Unlike many other law enforcement agencies that retain ALPR data for 30 days, San Jose's policy has been to store this information for an entire year. This extended data retention has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and civil liberties organizations. In November 2025, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the ACLU of Northern California filed a lawsuit against the city. The suit alleges that allowing law enforcement to search this massive database of drivers' movements without a warrant violates the California Constitution's privacy protections. The controversy also involves California Senate Bill 34, a state law that prohibits law enforcement agencies from sharing ALPR data with out-of-state or federal entities. Critics have charged that San Jose police may have violated this law by conducting searches on behalf of federal agencies. The vendor, Flock Safety, has faced nationwide scrutiny over its data-sharing practices. This has led other municipalities, such as Lynnwood, Washington, and Denver, Colorado, to terminate their contracts with the company due to privacy concerns and alleged unauthorized data access by out-of-state agencies. In response to public pressure and legal challenges, several other Bay Area communities, including Mountain View and Los Altos Hills, have also moved to reconsider or end their use of Flock's surveillance systems.