San Diego ACLU petitions to cancel Flock ALPR contracts

19 August 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties launched a petition on August 19, 2026, calling on San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria to cancel all of the city's automated license plate reader contracts, including those operated by Flock Safety. The petition was timed to precede a public safety committee hearing scheduled for that date. The ACLU characterizes the ALPR system, funded through the San Diego Police Department's budget, as invasive mass surveillance technology that collects vehicle and personal identifying information revealing travel patterns related to work, schools, houses of worship, medical offices, and other locations.

The ACLU's opposition to San Diego's ALPR system spans several years of advocacy. The organization provided public testimony against the Flock contract in December 2025 and renewed calls to end the contracts in spring 2026, proposing that the city redirect funds toward youth programs, libraries, parks, and community services. The petition effort is part of a broader national movement, with the ACLU noting that communities across the country have successfully advocated to end similar surveillance systems. The organization references its decade-long work on ALPR transparency, citing its 2013 report "You Are Being Tracked."

Public records on ALPR contracts in San Diego are now subject to increased scrutiny and potential requests for disclosure. Residents can examine city council meeting minutes, public safety committee records, and contract documents to track the status of Flock agreements, contract terms, cost, renewal dates, and official responses to the petition. This case illustrates how residents in any municipality can investigate their own city's ALPR commitments by checking local government websites for contract records, procurement notices, and meeting agendas.

Read the original reporting: OB Rag.