San Jose city leaders are moving toward setting new rules for the use of license plate reader cameras after the city’s police chief acknowledged that an officer used data from the system for personal use.
Wednesday marks the first step toward creating rules governing the cameras, which San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph has said are serious crime-fighting tools.
Among the rules that could be enacted are prohibiting access from non-police devices, strengthening audits and pursuing state legislation regarding unauthorized access.
Some community members and organizations have been pushing the city to get rid of the Flock cameras or rein in their use. The issue came to a head after it was uncovered that a San Jose police officer used license plate reader data to help a family member.
“I was furious. I was furious that an officer would betray the public trust in that manner, that he would not understand how serious of a violation this is,” Joseph said.
SIREN community organizer Kimberly Woo raised broader concerns about the cameras.
“Mass surveillance is not public safety, and these cameras are only creating new threats,” Woo said. “Again, it goes way beyond just one officer and one vendor and one company because overwhelming evidence has shown, across the country, local agencies and ALPR vendors have grossly mishandled and abused our data.”
The issue will go before the city’s Rules Committee. Its recommendation will then go to the San Jose City Council.