Overview
- Following nearly six hours of testimony, the City Council approved continued ALPR use on a 5–3 vote during its first annual review of 54 police surveillance tools.
- The streetlight-based system remains in place with new requirements for expanded audits, improved public reporting and stricter data-sharing controls.
- SDPD says the network has aided about 600 investigations, led to more than 400 arrests, helped solve four homicides and recovered roughly $5.8–$6 million in stolen property.
- License-plate data are kept for 30 days unless tied to a case, and state law bars sharing with out-of-state or federal agencies; an early three-week configuration error enabled nearly 13,000 out-of-state searches before it was corrected.
- Opponents warned of mass tracking and possible federal access, while wider scrutiny continues as some cities roll back Flock systems and California’s attorney general sues El Cajon over alleged unlawful ALPR data sharing.