Mayor Daniel Lurie Unveils Strong Privacy Protections for Public Safety Cameras, Building on Work to Drive Down Crime in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today unveiled a strengthened privacy policy for the city’s public safety cameras that will protect people’s privacy while keeping San Franciscans and visitors safe. Technology has helped solve crimes and keep people safe, and these reforms will strengthen the trust between law enforcement and communities that has been critical to San Francisco’s public safety progress. The new policy will limit how long data is available, keep data under local control, and hold any city vendor to strict privacy and security standards.

Under Mayor Lurie’s administration, public safety has been the city’s number one priority. In Mayor Lurie’s first year in office, citywide crime dropped nearly 30% and homicides reached their lowest level since 1954. Mayor Lurie’s Rebuilding the Ranks plan is driving toward full police and sheriff staffing, with SFPD seeing its first staffing increase in years and graduating its largest recruit class since 2017 earlier this year. Staffing improvements in the city’s 911 emergency response system have driven faster response times, and the city’s new Real-Time Investigation Center is leveraging modern crime-fighting tools to improve public safety citywide.  

“San Franciscans expect us to keep them safe and protect their privacy. Today, we are putting tighter limits on the data collected by public safety cameras—strengthening the trust between law enforcement and communities that has been critical to our city’s public safety progress,” said Mayor Lurie. “This technology helps us keep workers, small business owners, and families safe, because we will not go back to a time when people could break into cars, rob businesses, or commit serious crime without consequences. When communities trust law enforcement, and our city is safe, we can deliver a recovery that reaches every neighborhood.”

Targeted public safety tools like license plate readers help SFPD keep San Franciscans safe by identifying vehicles, locating suspects, and developing leads in criminal investigations. Since May 2024, SFPD’s use of public safety technology has assisted in more than 1,500 arrests, nearly 1,000 of them directly tied to automated license plate reader (ALPR) data. These tools have been especially valuable in addressing vehicle crime, with motor vehicle theft falling 24% in 2025, car break-ins at a 22-year low, and car break-in arrests rising more than 81% between 2023 and 2024. Technology has also made policing safer: SFPD uses ALPR and drone observation to locate and track vehicles without initiating or continuing a pursuit, reducing the substantial risks that pursuits pose to officers, suspects, and bystanders. Even as SFPD remains roughly 500 sworn officers below authorized staffing, total reported crime has declined, underscoring the value of using technology to increase the operational capacity of the officers already on the street.  

Under the new policy, SFPD personnel can access license plate reader data for investigative searches only during the first 30 days after the data is captured, down from 12 months. The policy also requires rigorous documentation for searches, including that every search must be tied to a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) or incident number. After 30 days, SFPD’s license plate reader data will be removed from the vendor’s platform, giving SFPD exclusive control of its data and preventing external access. As the new policy goes into effect, Mayor Lurie will also partner with Assemblymember Matt Haney and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to pursue strengthened penalties under state law for the unauthorized disclosure and misuse of public safety data.

LIMITING ACCESS TO LICENSE PLATE READER DATA AFTER 30 DAYS

Mayor Lurie’s new safeguards will significantly reduce how long license plate reader data is available to SFPD personnel. SFPD personnel will no longer have access to ALPR records for investigative searches more than 30 days after they are captured, down from 12 months. The new limit is in line with policies adopted by Oregon and by the city of San José, and it is shorter than the 60-day cap that applies to the California Highway Patrol, the only current limit under California law. For data to remain accessible after 30 days, SFPD personnel must demonstrate that data is tied to an active criminal investigation and secure clearance from police leadership.  

REQUIRING RIGOROUS DOCUMENTATION FOR SEARCHES  

The new policy will require that personnel conducting an active search of SFPD’s ALPR system enter the relevant license plate and time period, select the reason for the search, and provide an associated incident or CAD number, creating a process for rigorous documentation and accountability. When an incident number has not yet been generated, the CAD number will connect the search directly to the call for service that prompted it. The system will record who conducted each search, and those records will be subject to regular compliance review.

KEEPING LICENSE PLATE READER DATA UNDER LOCAL CONTROL

Mayor Lurie’s new protections will strengthen local control of SFPD’s license plate reader data and establish tighter restrictions on who can access and use it. Under the new policy, SFPD’s ALPR data will be removed from the vendor’s platform after 30 days, giving SFPD exclusive control of its data and preventing external access. Consistent with California law, SFPD does not authorize federal agencies to access its ALPR data, and federal agencies do not have direct access to SFPD’s database.

Access by state and local law enforcement agencies will continue to be authorized agency by agency. SFPD will maintain and regularly review a current list of every outside agency authorized to access its data, and an authorized agency will not be permitted to conduct searches on behalf of an entity that is not itself authorized to receive the information.

SFPD will strengthen its policies, vendor contracts, and data-sharing agreements to make clear that city data remains under city control. Vendors will have no independent right to use, disclose, retain, or share department data and may access it only as authorized by the city and as necessary to provide contracted services.

STRENGTHENING PROTECTIONS UNDER STATE LAW

Mayor Lurie will also work with Assemblymember Haney and District Attorney Jenkins to pursue state legislation strengthening penalties for police officers or any public safety personnel who misuse ALPR and other sensitive public safety technology data or disclose it without authorization.

Current state law treats misuse of ALPR data differently from misuse of certain other categories of sensitive law enforcement information, including criminal history data. The proposed legislation will seek stronger consequences for those who improperly access or share license plate reader data.

“It should be a crime to share sensitive information without a clear and lawful purpose. Period. It’s unacceptable and dangerous that it isn’t already,” said Assemblymember Haney. “If you’re a public safety officer with access to sensitive information about where people go and when they go there, that access comes with an enormous responsibility and a very limited purpose. You don’t get to use that information to track someone for personal reasons, share it with a friend or family member, or use it for anything unrelated to your job. If you abuse that access, there should be criminal consequences, and you should be prosecuted.”

“San Francisco is committed to ensuring that appropriate safeguards and policies are in place to hold accountable anyone who abuses license plate reader technology,” said District Attorney Jenkins. “This technology has been a game changer in strengthening our ability to hold people who commit crimes in our city accountable. We cannot allow concerns about misuse to prevent us from using the tools we need to protect our communities—particularly our most vulnerable communities, which too often bear the greatest burden of crime. We want strong safeguards, and we want safety. Anyone who abuses this technology will face consequences, and these new policies will serve as a deterrent while allowing us to continue using this important tool to advance public safety.”

BUILDING ON EXISTING PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES PROTECTIONS

The new safeguards build on existing San Francisco and California protections governing how public safety technology like license plate readers can be used.

SFPD expressly prohibits the use of license plate readers and other technology for civil immigration enforcement; for investigating people based solely on their lawful pursuit or provision of reproductive health care or gender-affirming care; or for monitoring lawful First Amendment-protected activity. Where technically feasible, SFPD will reinforce these restrictions through system controls.

SFPD will conduct monthly reviews of system-use logs to identify unusual search volumes, repeated searches, missing or unusual justifications, unexpected jurisdictions, and other indicators of potential misuse. Where technically feasible, automated alerts will flag concerning activity for prompt review.

SFPD will ask the Department of Police Accountability to conduct regular independent audits of the department’s use of the technology, providing an additional layer of outside accountability.

Personnel who violate the requirements will be subject to discipline consistent with department policy and applicable law, up to and including termination where warranted. Training on the requirements will be mandatory for personnel with system access.

“The public should never be expected to sacrifice privacy for safety, and the SFPD has always used technology like ALPR for law enforcement purposes only,” said SFPD Chief Derrick Lew. “These new measures will improve public trust and accountability as we continue to use technology to reduce crime across the city. If anyone commits violations with our technology, we will have stronger policies and laws to hold them accountable.”

“We appreciate these meaningful changes, which address issues raised during our ongoing, independent audit,” said Paul Henderson, San Francisco Department of Police Accountability Executive Director. “Developing a policy that prioritizes public safety requires balancing best practices for privacy and surveillance. The Department of Police Accountability remains committed to transparency and will continue its audit in accordance with strict government auditing standards to ensure that these tools are used responsibly with strong safeguards, and in alignment with San Francisco’s community priorities.”

“Representing the Tenderloin, I hear a clear message from residents: they want government to act on drug markets, violence, and crime, but they also want their rights and privacy protected,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. “Public safety and civil liberties are not competing values. We can give law enforcement the tools to solve crimes while putting clear limits on how that technology and its data can be used. These changes ensure San Franciscans can count on both a government that intervenes when their communities need help, and one that protects their privacy and liberties when they aren’t the target of an investigation.”

“Our city has made tremendous progress reducing crime because we have been providing SFPD with the tools and funding they need to do their jobs. The use of new technology also requires that we develop responsible guidelines, and I believe that these proposed safeguards balance the need for public safety while protecting privacy and civil liberties,” said District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong. “These new protections make clear that when the city uses technology to fight crime, it will do so in a way that respects the rights of the people it serves.”

“San Franciscans should never have to choose between public safety and strong protections for their civil liberties,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “Automated license plate readers are a highly effective tool to solve and deter crime, and their deployment is making San Francisco measurably safer. At the same time, these technologies are too important not to require rigorous safeguards, meaningful oversight, and grave consequences if they’re ever misused. That’s why I applaud Mayor Lurie’s move to strengthen protections that ensure privacy rights while preserving access to tools that make our city safer.”

“Public safety requires constant vigilance, and that means ensuring that our tools are used correctly," said District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill. "It’s common sense to use tools that have driven car break-ins down over 80%—and at the same time, it’s essential we control that data. I am glad the Mayor is taking action, and I look forward to continuing to make sure all San Franciscans are safe.”

“San Francisco’s small businesses directly experience the effects of crime. Ensuring the safety of our commercial corridors with common-sense public safety tools is essential to protecting the safety of merchants and maintaining the strength of San Francisco’s local economy,” said Masood Samereie, San Francisco Minority Chambers of Commerce Foundation President. “Security cameras are proven to be an important tool to help deter criminals, document crime, and support victims of crime through investigations. Having these tools available for small businesses creates the safer, healthier commercial corridors vital for businesses to flourish and thrive in San Francisco.”

“Local 87 members are immigrant workers, and we work night shifts. Public safety technology in the city has made it safer for our members,” said Ying Shan Mei, SEIU Local 87 Secretary-Treasurer. “This technology must have strong guardrails to ensure it is accountable and keeps our community's trust, and this legislative package does exactly that.”