Flock Safety ALPR camera system on a roadside pole
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office recently announced a series of new safeguards governing the municipal camera system, placing tighter boundaries on police data retention, blocking outside agency access and demanding verifiable audit trails for every plate search.
At a time when surveillance startup Flock Safety faces vandalism of its cameras across America and widespread contract cancellations, San Francisco officials have said that the city’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) network will remain active but under significantly stricter privacy rules.
What is changing under San Francisco’s new ALPR rules
The policy shift follows an internal SFPD audit that revealed the city’s camera network was accessed without authorisation over the past year by out-of-state and federal agencies. Under California law, local law enforcement is strictly forbidden from sharing ALPR records with federal or out-of-state authorities absent a direct California court order or warrant. In recent days, the unrest around Flock’s operations has escalated into physical attacks and rapid commercial blowback across America. Citizens have targeted, damaged and disabled Flock camera installations in multiple states from Florida to California, driving up unbudgeted hardware repair and replacement costs.