Two Bay Area Cities Drop License Plate Readers
The cities of Saratoga and Cupertino have ended their use of Flock's automated license plate readers following scrutiny over data privacy and effectiveness. The decision impacts local law enforcement, which had relied on the system for vehicle tracking and crime prevention.
The decision was driven by a Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors' vote to stop the Sheriff's Office from using Flock Safety as a vendor. This came after concerns were raised about Flock's data-sharing practices with federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which goes against county policies. This move is part of a larger trend in the Bay Area, with cities like Los Altos Hills and Mountain View also terminating their contracts with Flock. The city of Mountain View turned off its cameras after its police chief stated that out-of-state agencies were accessing data collected within the city. Privacy advocates, including the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), have been actively challenging the use of this surveillance technology. These groups have filed lawsuits against other cities like San Jose, arguing that the widespread use of these cameras constitutes warrantless mass surveillance. An audit in nearby Ventura County found that data from their Sheriff's Office was accessed by out-of-state agencies over 364,000 times in a single year without the department's knowledge or approval. In some cases, the justification for the search referenced immigration enforcement. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which provides police services to Cupertino and Saratoga, has argued that the license plate readers are a valuable tool. They reported that since 2022 in the West Valley, the cameras have helped recover over 50 stolen vehicles, locate 30 stolen plates, and resulted in 66 arrests and 33 warrants served. Flock Safety has stated that it does not have contracts with ICE or a "back-door" for federal access, and that its customers have sole control over their data. However, critics point to user agreements and pilot programs with federal agencies as a cause for concern. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office will now have to find an alternative vendor for automated license plate readers if the cities of Cupertino and Saratoga decide to continue using the technology under a new provider.
