San Jose Moves to Rein in Flock Cameras, Joining in Backlash Amid Privacy Concerns

The San Jose Police Department wants to rein in its Flock automated license plate reader cameras, but is opting to maintain its contract with the company, reports Robert Salonga in The Mercury News.

“In a policy memo released Thursday, SJPD Chief Paul Joseph asks the City Council to shrink the retention period for plate data from one year to 30 days, and ban cameras from recording vehicles entering and leaving houses of worship and reproductive health clinics.” The city joins others that are reconsidering their contracts with Flock in the wake of privacy and surveillance concerns. 

The changes requested by Joseph would require California agencies to provide detailed explanations for data requests, which must then be approved by a police commander. Joseph also says the department has disabled a “Federal Sharing” option in the police data portal. “The chief said the polarizing nature of the technology is why he has requested that the council review and codify his proposals, both to ensure their longevity and to allow for public discussion of the merits.”

The move comes after a November lawsuit against the city and the police chief that argues that “continuous searches through the data without judicial warrants violated the California Constitution.” Nick Hidalgo, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU — one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit — says “anything short of a warrant requirement is insufficient.” 

Mountain View, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara County are among other California cities that have recently voted to eject Flock.