ACLU sues San Diego and SDPD over use of Flock Cameras

On Sept. 30, the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, filing a lawsuit against both the City of San Diego and the San Diego Police Department over their use of citywide Automated License Plate Readers made by Flock Safety.

The lawsuit claims the use of ALPR surveillance and the practice of sharing ALPR data with law enforcement agencies outside of California violates the California Constitution, in turn impeding Californians' rights to privacy and from unreasonable search and seizures.

SDPD formerly shared ALPR data with external law enforcement agencies, until the state attorney general informed them in 2025 the practice violated California law. ALPRs are cameras installed on public roads that record and collect license plate number information on all vehicles in frame.

The Department of Homeland Security states that the ALPRs software “compares license plate numbers against databases to generate alerts and create records of vehicle activity.” Flock Safety is a technology and software company that works with local law enforcement agencies and city governments across the United States to install cameras.