Community advocates are calling for San Jose’s police chief to step down following revelations that a police officer used license plate tracking technology to assist his cousin in stalking a woman who alleged abuse. A coalition of groups, including Safety over Surveillance, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Working Partnerships USA, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment, are also demanding that San Jose cancel its contract with surveillance company Flock Safety and conduct an audit on its system of automatic license plate readers.
The police officer in question was fired in April after a yearlong investigation concluded he had illicitly accessed license plate reader data on his personal phone. The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) was reportedly informed of the incident in February 2025, after the woman reported that the man knew her whereabouts. Speaking at a Wednesday rally, Kimberly Woo, an organizer with SIREN, stated, “Mass surveillance does not keep us safe.” Advocates argue these incidents represent a breach of public trust and indicate a lack of transparency within the SJPD.
Despite previous reassurances from city officials that Flock cameras are secure, incidents point to the contrary. In March, while the investigation into the officer was ongoing, Police Chief Paul Joseph told the City Council that audits had indicated license plate reader data was not being misused. Deputy Police Chief Macedonio Zuniga later stated he could not address why Chief Joseph was not forthcoming about the investigation at that time. Woo further commented that “The city’s reliance on these cameras creates new threats,” suggesting no safeguards can fully eliminate the possibility of abuse.
In response to these concerns, city officials are considering new ways to strengthen safeguards for automatic license plate readers. Earlier this year, controls were tightened once already. Two separate proposals have been put forth: one by Mayor Matt Mahan, Vice Mayor Pam Foley, and Councilmembers Domingo Candelas and George Casey; and another by Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei, Anthony Tordillos, David Cohen, and Michael Mulcahy. Both proposals aim to restrict city employees from using personal devices to access data from license plate readers and seek to expand audits designed to detect illicit searches.
At the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee meeting on Wednesday, the five councilmembers on the committee unanimously voted to direct staff to analyze the work needed to advance these proposals. The issue is expected to return to the committee in a few weeks before potentially going before the full council for a vote. Vice Mayor Foley expressed significant concern about the breach, noting that previously established guardrails in March, which included limits on camera installation and data storage, had not proven successful. San Jose's network includes 474 cameras.
This latest incident underscores accountability gaps with automated license plate readers, which have been under increasing scrutiny. In November, a coalition of local advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against San Jose, alleging that the city’s practice of allowing warrantless searches of its license plate data infringes upon drivers’ privacy rights. Earlier this year, several South Bay jurisdictions, including Santa Clara County, Los Altos Hills, and Mountain View, ended their contracts with Flock Safety due to concerns that the company allowed transfers of license plate reader data to out-of-state law enforcement agencies, a practice prohibited by state law.
Deputy Police Chief Zuniga affirmed that the SJPD will follow the City Council’s direction regarding the use of surveillance cameras, stating the department will examine all options to ensure technology is leveraged responsibly and ethically. Greg Ramos, an advocate with Safety over Surveillance, urged the city to take decisive action to end Flock contracts and ensure resident safety, noting a perceived tendency for responsibility to be deferred within city processes.