SJPD officer fired after using Flock cameras to help cousin accused of domestic violence
SJPD officer fired after using Flock cameras to help cousin
A San Jose Police Department officer has been fired for accessing Flock camera data on a personal phone to help a relative.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A San Jose police officer was fired after the chief said he used a personal phone to access Flock camera data to help his cousin, who was accused of domestic violence.
The improper access was discovered in February 2025, and the officer was immediately placed on administrative leave before being terminated in April, according to police.
A criminal case regarding the officer's access of the ALPR data was submitted to the district attorney’s office, but criminal charges were not filed. Prosecutors noted that state laws barring officers from accessing confidential criminal databases without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose currently do not cover Automated License Plate Reader systems.
Police Chief Paul Joseph said he would support state legislation to make it illegal to improperly access ALPR systems.
Police also confirmed that the domestic violence suspect was not criminally charged following the sharing of the ALPR information.
The department said the officer accessed the Flock data while off duty on his personal cell phone to track down the woman who accused his cousin.
State law makes it illegal for an officer to access confidential criminal databases without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose, but the law does not currently cover data covered by Automated License Plate Readers.
San Jose police officer fired over Flock camera data abuse
What we know:
In response to the incident, the department said policy was changed to restrict ALPR and law enforcement-sensitive systems from being accessed on personal devices.
"When an officer violates the public’s trust this severely, my responsibility is clear: that person cannot remain in a position of police authority, and they cannot wear the San Jose badge. This technology is new; the standard is not," Chief of Police Paul Joseph said in a statement on Friday.
Department officials clarified that accessing systems from personal devices does not erase or bypass internal audit trail logs. In fact, officials said it was the audit logs tracking access from the personal device that provided the crucial evidence used to catch and terminate the officer.
While police acknowledged that prohibiting access via personal devices adds an extra layer of control and security, department officials admitted the policy change itself would not necessarily have prevented the initial misconduct.
What's next:
The department reviewed its ALPR access protocols following the breach and says it continues to run monthly audits to detect potential abuse.
The Mercury News reported the officer was fired in April after a yearlong investigation.
Joseph told the Mercury News that he chose to make the firing public now because he issued a memo last week banning officers from accessing any law-enforcement databases from personal electronic devices.
The department says it will be conducting monthly audits to ensure proper protocols are followed, though it's noted that will not necessarily prevent real-time surveillance abuse.
Northern California cities end Flock contracts over privacy concerns
Big picture view:
In Northern California, the cities of Santa Cruz, Los Altos Hills, and Mountain View all terminated their Flock contracts this year due to privacy concerns surrounding Flock Safety data across the nation.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing San Jose police — on behalf of the immigrant-rights group SIREN and the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations — on the grounds that the ALPR systems’ "retrospective" monitoring of people’s movements without warrants violates the Constitution.
The Source: SJPD chief, prior KTVU reporting