Mountain View CA cancels Flock ALPR contract (Feb. 24, 2026)
Mountain View, CA — City Council Unanimously Cancels Flock Safety ALPR Contract After Unauthorized Federal and Statewide Access (Feb. 24, 2026)
Mountain View, CA · Mountain View City Council vote, Feb. 24, 2026 (unanimous), cancelling the Flock Safety ALPR contract
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- February 24, 2026
- Applies to
- Mountain View Police Department; Flock Safety (contract cancelled)
- Enforced by
- Mountain View City Council; Mountain View Police Department
Mountain View's police chief switched off all 30 of the city's Flock license plate cameras on February 2, 2026, after learning that more than 250 California agencies, and for a few months in 2024 federal agencies, had been able to search the city's data without permission. On February 24, the City Council voted unanimously to cancel the Flock contract. State law bars sharing this data with out-of-state or federal agencies.
Who is protected: Mountain View residents and drivers, who are no longer recorded by the city's 30-camera Flock network
Legal detail
Mountain View: Chief Canfield disabled all 30 Flock ALPR cameras on Feb. 2, 2026 after finding that (1) Flock's 'national lookup' was active Aug.–Nov. 2024 without the city's knowledge, letting federal entities (ATF offices in KY and TN, Air Force bases in VA and OH) search the data, and (2) a 'statewide lookup' let 250+ California agencies search the data without required agreements from Aug. 2024 to Jan. 2026. The council voted unanimously on Feb. 24, 2026 to cancel the contract (about $154,650 paid since inception). No replacement ALPR vendor was planned, per the PA Daily Post. Grounds include SB 34 (Civ. Code § 1798.90.55) limits on ALPR data sharing.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Mountain View, CA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | February 24, 2026 |
| Citation | Mountain View City Council vote, Feb. 24, 2026 (unanimous), cancelling the Flock Safety ALPR contract |
| Topics | consumer data privacy · police and surveillance AI |
| News report | Mountain View council votes to get rid of license plate cameras — Palo Alto Daily Post |
Related consumer data privacy rules elsewhere
- Vermont Data Broker Law (H.211) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Chatrie v. United States (Fourth Amendment protection for location… · Blocked / in litigation
- House Bill 2512 — Banning surveillance pricing by rideshare companies · Proposed / pending
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- Maine LD 61 (employer surveillance disclosure & prohibition) · In effect
- Washington SHB 1672 (employee monitoring notice, ADS restrictions, emotion AI ban) · In effect
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