San Jose council members seek tighter limits on police license plate cameras after officer's firing
The Rules Committee on Oct. 28 takes up two proposals, including penalties for misuse of plate data.
SAN JOSE - San Jose's Rules and Open Government Committee will consider two proposals Wednesday, Oct. 28, to tighten rules on police license plate readers, according to council memos. The cameras read and log the plates of passing cars.
Both memos would bar officers from using the system on personal devices. One, from Mayor Matt Mahan, Vice Mayor Pam Foley and council members Domingo Candelas and George Casey, calls for more audits of individual searches, reported each year, and state penalties for misuse.
The other, from council members Kamei, Tordillos, Cohen and Mulcahy, asks the city attorney to draft a local ordinance with civil and criminal penalties. It would also limit off-duty access and explore having the Independent Police Auditor review the program.
The memos follow the firing in September of an officer who, according to police, used the system from a personal device while off duty to find a vehicle for a relative accused of domestic violence. The paper is not naming the officer.
The committee meets at 2 p.m. at City Hall.
Source: Mayor's memo, Rules Committee Item C.2; Council members' memo, Item C.2