The San Diego Police Department has stopped sharing controversial surveillance data with federal authorities and other out-of-state agencies after state Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office told the department it was likely violating state law.
The SDPD’s decision follows years of criticism from privacy and civil rights advocates regarding the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system and who has access to the data. The outcry has only intensified amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign this year.
The specific law in question is Senate Bill 34, which was passed in 2015. It explicitly prohibits local police departments from sharing ALPR data with outside law enforcement agencies. In 2024, SDPD shared data with federal agencies 62 times, according to the department’s annual surveillance report.
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