Documented Incident
San Jose advocates seek police chief's resignation and end to Flock contract after officer's ALPR misuse
Event: February 1, 2025 · First reported: October 1, 2026 · 2 sources
Advocacy groups rallied in San Jose on Sept. 30, 2026, calling for Police Chief Paul Joseph to step down and for the city to cancel its contract with Flock Safety after reports that an SJPD officer improperly accessed license plate reader data to help a relative locate a woman. The Mercury News reported the officer was fired in April following a yearlong investigation that found he accessed ALPR data on his phone; the department was first notified in February 2025. While that investigation was underway, Joseph told the City Council in March that audits showed no ALPR data had gone where it should not. Two separate councilmember memos now propose restricting access from personal devices and expanding audits.
The case tests whether audit-based safeguards adopted earlier in 2026 can detect or deter misuse of license plate data by officers, a question facing every jurisdiction that relies on internal auditing rather than external oversight.
Key facts
- Officer was fired in April after a yearlong investigation found illicit access to ALPR data via his phone, per the Mercury News; SJPD was first informed in February 2025
- In March 2026, the council adopted safeguards for San Jose's 474 cameras, including installation limits and data retention caps
- Deputy Chief Macedonio Zuniga said he could not speak to why Chief Joseph did not disclose the pending investigation in March
- The Rules and Open Government Committee voted unanimously on Sept. 30 to have staff analyze two reform proposals before a full council vote
- A November lawsuit by local advocacy groups alleges warrantless searches of San Jose ALPR data violate drivers' privacy rights
- Santa Clara County, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View ended Flock contracts earlier in the year over out-of-state data sharing concerns
Timeline
- October 1, 2026San Jose residents want police chief out after Flock camera misuse
- October 5, 2026San Jose residents demand police chief’s resignation over Flock camera misuse
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- San Jose residents want police chief out after Flock camera misuse (San José Spotlight, October 1, 2026)
- San Jose residents demand police chief’s resignation over Flock camera misuse (Local News Matters, October 5, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated October 7, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.