A San Jose police officer was fired after using the department’s automated license plate reader network to track a domestic violence victim for a family member, according to San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph.
Flock Camera Data Misused on Personal Phone
The fired officer accessed the San Jose Police Department’s network of Flock safety cameras using a personal mobile device last spring, Chief Paul Joseph stated during a Friday press briefing reported by NBC Bay Area. The officer pulled license plate reader data and provided it directly to a suspect involved in a domestic violence situation, allowing that individual to locate a victim.
“This is a betrayal of the public trust — plain and simple,” Joseph said, according to NBC Bay Area. “There’s no other way to put it.”
Once supervisors discovered the unauthorized access, the department placed the officer on administrative leave immediately. Officials launched a criminal investigation and referred the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office before finalizing the termination.
Policy Changes Following the Breach
In response to the security failure, Chief Joseph announced policy changes designed to block remote access to automated license plate reader data from personal electronic devices. Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) remain central to department operations, recently helping officers locate an armed robbery suspect who had swapped license plates.
Kimberly Woo, a community organizer for the immigrants’ rights group Services, Immigrant Rights And Education Network (SIREN), criticized the technology following the department’s announcement.
“Mass surveillance is not public safety and these cameras are only creating new threats,” Woo said, as reported by NBC Bay Area. “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.”
San Jose Debates Surveillance Limits
San Jose city leaders have previously attempted to reassure critics by instituting administrative safeguards around the technology.
Keep reading