San Jose ALPR 30-day retention safeguards (2026)
City of San Jose — Flock Safety ALPR 30-Day Retention and Access Safeguards (2026)
San Jose, CA · City of San Jose ALPR Use Policy Amendment (City Council unanimous vote, March 10, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- March 10, 2026
- Applies to
- San Jose Police Department; San Jose Information Technology Department
- Enforced by
- San Jose Police Department; City Auditor; Privacy Advisory Commission
On March 10, 2026, San Jose City Council voted unanimously to tighten safeguards on the city's network of 474 Flock Safety license-plate-reader cameras. The new rules cut the data retention period from one year to 30 days, restrict where cameras can be placed, and limit data-sharing with outside law enforcement agencies to documented criminal investigations. San Jose is the largest U.S. city to have adopted a Government AI Coalition framework, and this vote aligned its ALPR rules with its broader digital-privacy principles.
Who is protected: San Jose residents and drivers whose license plates are captured by city ALPR cameras
Legal detail
San Jose City Council unanimous vote (March 10, 2026): amended ALPR use policy for 474 Flock Safety cameras to: (1) reduce data retention from 365 days to 30 days for non-evidentiary footage; (2) restrict camera placement to avoid proximity to places of worship, medical facilities, and other sensitive locations; (3) tighten inter-agency data-sharing rules, limiting external requests to agencies with a documented criminal investigation nexus; (4) require quarterly public reports on query volume, purpose codes, and sharing requests. Policy aligned with San Jose's Privacy Risk Assessment framework (AI Reviews and Algorithm Register) and the state My Health My Data Act.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | San Jose, CA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | March 10, 2026 |
| Citation | City of San Jose ALPR Use Policy Amendment (City Council unanimous vote, March 10, 2026) |
| Topics | consumer data privacy · police and surveillance AI · AI disclosure and transparency |
| Agency page | San Jose City Council — ALPR Policy Update (March 2026) | Digital Privacy / AI Reviews |
More AI rules in San Jose, CA
- San José AI Policy · In effect
- San Jose GenAI Guidelines · In effect
- Santa Clara County CA Office of Education · In effect
- San Jose AI Reviews Board · In effect
- CAIR-CA v. San Jose (Flock ALPR) dismissed (2026) · Blocked / in litigation
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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