Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR)
Policy and Data Usage Protocol Update
March 10, 2026
Item 4.1
Paul Joseph, Chief of Police
San José Police Department
Data
Minimization
and Fiscal
Impact
• Default retention reduced from 1
year to 30 days
• Minimal impact on investigations
• Consistent with Digital Privacy Policy
principle of minimization
• Investigative data retained per
evidentiary law
Reduced Retention Period
• Estimated annual savings of
approximately $142,200
• No additional costs associated with
other updates
Fiscal Impact
Strengthened
Privacy
Safeguards
Sensitive Location ALPR Placement Restrictions
• No placement capturing vehicles
entering/exiting
– reproductive health care facilities
primarily providing abortion services
– locations primarily used for religious
observance
• Current camera placement is already
compliant
Prohibited Uses Remain in Effect
• No monitoring of constitutionally protected
activity
• No data sharing for immigration
enforcement
• No automated enforcement without
manual review
• No sale of ALPR data
Enhanced
Oversight
and Access
Controls
External Agency Access Requirements
• Crime type, case number, and justification
are now required fields
• Command-level approval is required for
inquiries by agencies without existing access
System Security
• Multi-factor authentication required for all
SJPD access
• Quarterly compliance audits of both internal
and external access by City ITD
• SJPD has always disabled the ability for
federal agencies to make requests for our
data
• Flock has disabled national queries of the
data from all California agencies
• Flock has integrated, and SJPD has enabled,
platform-level technology to block all
queries determined to be related to
immigration enforcement or reproductive
rights
Transparency
and
Immigration
Protections
State Law Restrictions
• System access is shared only with California
law enforcement agencies
• California Values Act and SB 34 prohibit
sharing this information for federal
immigration enforcement
• Transmittal of ALPR data for immigration
enforcement is illegal
• All SJPD users of the system are trained on
these restrictions
• Internal audit performed, confirming no data
has been released for federal immigration
purposes since Flock implemented at SJPD
• Login prompts require users to agree to
these restrictions before making any query
Transparency Enhancement
• Public portal updates to clearly reflect these
legal limits
Ongoing
Evaluation
and
Analysis
ALPR Strengthens Public Safety
• Supports real-time investigations of
serious crimes
• Assists in locating at-risk missing persons
• Enhances coordinated response between
patrol, investigations, and air support
• Has shown a positive impact on case
solvability
The San José Police Department’s Flock
Transparency Portal provides detailed
historical case examples demonstrating how
ALPR is used in criminal investigations.
https://transparency.flocksafety.com/san-
jose-ca-pd
Recommendations
(a) Approve the following changes to the Police Department Automated License Plate Reader Data Usage Protocol:
1) Change the default retention period of data collected by the Automated License Plate Reader from “one year” to “30 days.” 2) Prohibit placing Automated License Plate Reader cameras in positions that capture data from vehicles entering or exiting any reproductive health care services facility primarily providing abortion services or any location primarily used for religious observance.
3) Make other technical, non-substantive, or formatting changes.
Recommendations
(b) Accept the report on the Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader program and approve the following
changes to the Automated License Plate Reader policy:
1) Require additional compliance documentation from California agencies requesting access to the Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader data, including the reason justification, the crime type, and a case number.
2) Require approval from a command staff officer before assisting agencies without existing access.
3) Require multi-factor authentication for all access to the Automated License Plate Reader system.
Recommendations
(c) Add the following clarification to the Police Department’s public Automated License Plate Reader Transparency
Portal:
“The San José Police Department only shares data with California law enforcement agencies subject to the California Values Act (Senate Bill 54, 2017)2 and Automated License Plate Recognition Systems: Use of Data (Senate Bill 34, 2015). 3 These laws prohibit information sharing with federal immigration enforcement. Transmittal of Police Department Automated License Plate Reader data to federal agencies for immigration enforcement is illegal.”