Santa Clara County to stop using Flock Safety cameras in several cities after privacy concerns

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Santa Clara County will no longer use Flock Safety as the primary vendor for their license plate readers in Cupertino, Saratoga and Los Altos Hills after a vote by the Board of Supervisors after a vote on Tuesday.

This comes after news broke that the camera network was being used by the federal government against the wishes of many cities and counties.

What was promised to be a safe, private and secure network of license plate readers capable of reducing crime by up to 70%, has members of the community chanting for change.

"Mass surveillance does not keep our public safe, but endangers all of us," Saratoga resident Margery said. "And what makes the Santa Clara County community rich is its diversity. And we must protect our community."

MORE: Mountain View suspends license plate readers; agencies accessed Flock camera data without consent

After the City of Mountain View discovered that their automated license plate reader cameras were being used by the federal government, many Bay Area jurisdictions began to cancel or pause their programs administered by Flock Safety.

Now, the County of Santa Clara has decided to do the same.

Flock Safety will no longer be the vendor of ALPR cameras while the county analyzes their surveillance-use policies.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong explained her thoughts before the vote.

"This is a board that has a demonstrated history and track record of prioritizing civil liberties, personal freedoms, personal rights, immigrant rights and the rights of women to seek reproductive health services," Duong said.

MORE: Mountain View officials allege federal, state agencies accessed Flock camera data without consent

The decision will impact Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills because the sheriff's office manages public safety in those cities.

The City of Mountain View had a vote of their own planned for Tuesday night.

Flock safety told us in a statement they stand by their privacy standards:

"Flock has gone on the record publicly that it does not have any contracts with ICE or CBP... Only our customers have sole authority over if, when, and with whom information is shared. Flock never shares data on its own and customers may limit, revoke, or deny data access at any time."

But after trust was broken, the community hopes change brings on better protections for all.

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