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<\/a><\/p>\nJoshua Stewart, a spokesperson for Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, chair of the San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee, declined to provide a statement about the community members’ concerns. He said the safety committee will release an annual surveillance report in the next couple months that will address them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be a time to hear councilmembers\u2019 thoughts on the matter,\u201d Stewart said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Todd Gloria\u2019s office said Gloria acknowledges the concerns surrounding automated license plate readers but that his support for them remains unchanged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose incidents do not negate the role ALPRs play every day in helping SDPD investigate serious crimes, recover stolen vehicles and property and identify suspects,\u201d his office said in an emailed statement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Members of San Diego community organizations hold up signs that say \u201cSay No to Mass Surveillance, Get the Flock Out,\u201d at a San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee meeting in San Diego on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Rami Alarian\/Daylight San Diego <\/p>\n
Ashley Nicholes, communications manager for the San Diego Police Department, said the department has worked with the community to ensure all personnel are using the technology responsibly and lawfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to evaluate and update our safeguards,\u201d Nicholes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Flock Safety did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Itazawa said the local American Civil Liberties Union has received over 2,000 signatures from people in San Diego who oppose all contracts with Flock Safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil the Flock systems and the ALPR systems are gone, we will continue to oppose them,\u201d Itazawa said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee first approved a smart streetlight contract with both Ubicquia and Flock Safety three years ago. The full City Council later approved the five-year agreement as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mayor Todd Gloria allocated $4 million in fiscal year 2024<\/a> for the purchase, maintenance and installation of the license plate readers, and the program costs roughly $2 million annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sign up for Daylight San Diego<\/p>\n News and information that is for you, not just about you.<\/p>\n No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.<\/p>\n Since the approval of the Flock and Ubicquia contracts, San Diegans have shown up to the city\u2019s Public Safety Committee to criticize the technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery dystopian society begins with mass surveillance of the common people,\u201d Valerie Triena, a District 4 resident, told the committee last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elizabeth Gibbon said a study<\/a> by Vallejo police in the Bay Area found that up to 37% of fixed-position ALPR were misreads.<\/p>\n \u201cSome have been jailed, including a San Diego man,\u201d Gibbon said. \u201cThese are expensive lawsuits, and the payouts have been huge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n San Diego police arrested<\/a> Hugo Para on felony charges last year that Flock incorrectly linked him to \u2014 he and his car were five miles away from the crime when it happened.<\/p>\n Many attendees warned of police misuse, citing cases in which law enforcement have used the technology to stalk their former romantic partners<\/a>. Around the country, authorities have accused at least 50 law enforcement officers of unauthorized use of the license plate readers to stalk women<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n A person dressed up as Star Wars character Darth Vader attends a San Diego City Council Public Safety Committee meeting in San Diego on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Rami Alarian\/Daylight San Diego <\/p>\n A person dressed as Star Wars character Darth Vader made a satirical appearance during the committee meeting to speak in support of Flock Safety technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe must continue utilizing Flock technologies so we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium,\u201d the Darth Vader cosplayer said. \u201cI need this so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Carmen Valdez, a District 9 resident and policy and research intern for Youth Will, a youth advocacy organization, said continuing contracts with automated license plate reader technology companies felt scary, dangerous and creepy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really sad to see how we\u2019re using money to stalk and target vulnerable communities instead of investing it towards solutions,\u201d Valdez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said that as a daughter of two immigrants she wanted the city to invest in services with lasting impacts such as mental health care, public transit, accessibility and affordable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Itazawa said that this protest isn\u2019t the first and would not be the last.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe more jurisdictions around the nation that are canceling their Flock contracts or ALPR contracts, that gives us hope that this is a trend nationwide,\u201d Itazawa said. \u201cWe\u2019re just hoping to build off of that momentum.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790787257_289_20231209_163633.jpg\")
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