Mountain View Disables Flock License Plate Cameras After Unauthorized Federal Access
Flock Safety enabled unauthorized search settings on Mountain View's license plate reader cameras, allowing federal and state agencies to access data between August and November 2024 without the police department's knowledge. The discovery led Mountain View Police Chief Mike Canfield to suspend all Flock Safety cameras, citing loss of confidence in the vendor's data access controls.
What happened
Between August and November 2024, federal and state law enforcement agencies accessed data from Mountain View's automated license plate reader (ALPR) system without the police department's knowledge or permission. An audit conducted by Mountain View Police Department in January 2026 revealed that Flock Safety had enabled a 'nationwide' search setting on one of the first deployed cameras, which the city had not authorized.
The unauthorized access was performed by multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offices in Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee; Langley Air Force Base in Virginia; the U.S. GSA Office of Inspector General; Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada; and an Air Force base in Ohio. The audit also disclosed that a 'statewide' search function was enabled on 29 of 30 cameras, which was contrary to the protocols established for the pilot program and allowed state law enforcement agencies unapproved by MVPD to access the data.
Reported impact
The police department could not determine whether the unauthorized searches resulted in actual license plate information being shared, as Flock Safety did not retain records for the four-month period during which the access occurred.
Mountain View Police Chief Mike Canfield announced the suspension of all Flock Safety ALPR cameras after the discovery, stating he no longer had confidence in the vendor's ability to meet the city's requirements regarding data access control and transparency. Privacy rights advocates expressed concern that the incident demonstrated how surveillance systems built by communities could be exploited by federal authorities.
Index analysis
The incident resulted from Flock Safety enabling search settings on the ALPR cameras that circumvented the protections and data access controls the Mountain View Police Department had intentionally established for the pilot program. The city had worked closely with Flock Safety at the outset to design a model that strictly prohibited out-of-state data access.
Governance controls
The statewide search setting was immediately disabled on January 5, 2026 once MVPD identified the issue. Mountain View Police Chief Canfield stated in a letter to the community that the existence of access by out-of-state agencies without the city's awareness, which circumvented protections the department believed were in place, was 'frankly unacceptable.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.