SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday announced the filing of a lawsuit accusing the City of El Cajon of sharing data collected through its automated license plate reader system with out-of-state agencies — a practice that is against California law.
Bonta accuses El Cajon of sharing the collected data with law enforcement agencies in 26 states and the federal government.
In a press release, Bonta’s office stated: “Under California law, state and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from sharing data pulled from Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems with federal and out-of-state law enforcement, where the data’s use is beyond the reach of California’s oversight and regulation. Yet despite clear guidance and multiple warnings, the City of El Cajon Police Department continues to share this data with numerous out-of-state law enforcement agencies throughout the country.”
The lawsuit, filed in San Diego Superior Court, calls for El Cajon and its police department to stop sharing ALPR data.
“To protect public safety, you need public trust. As the Trump Administration continues to target California’s immigrant communities, it is important that state and local law enforcement are not seen as a tool in furthering the President’s mass deportation agenda. When information about Californians leaves the state, we no longer have any say over how it is used or shared. That’s why the California Legislature passed SB 34 — to ensure information about Californians remains here in California. Yet El Cajon has knowingly and repeatedly refused to comply with state law, jeopardizing the privacy and safety of individuals in its community. Today, we’re asking a court to put this issue to bed and definitively affirm that California law prohibits the sharing of license plate data with federal and out-of-state agencies,” Bonta said in a press release.
El Cajon began using its Flock Safety ALPR system in August 2023.
In 2023, Bonta and his office issued a bulletin of guidance to law enforcement agencies across the state regarding ALPR data collection.
“The bulletin advised, among other things, that SB 34’s definition of the term ‘public agency’ does not include out-of-state and federal agencies, including law enforcement agencies. After learning that the City of El Cajon was sharing ALPR data with numerous out-of-state law enforcement agencies, the Attorney General contacted the El Cajon Police Chief regarding the limitations on ALPR data-sharing in state law. Despite this and subsequent outreach, the El Cajon Police Department and the City of El Cajon have refused to cease the unlawful practice of sharing ALPR data with out-of-state agencies,” Bonta’s office said in a statement.
