San Jose police officer fired for misusing Flock license plate reader data
A San Jose police officer was fired after using the department's Flock license plate reader to track a woman who had accused his cousin of domestic violence, then sharing her location data with the suspect. The officer's misconduct was discovered in February 2025 after the woman reported that her accuser knew her whereabouts, leading the department to implement new restrictions on database access from personal devices.
What happened
A San Jose police officer used the department's Flock license plate reader system to track a woman who had accused his cousin of domestic violence. The officer accessed vehicle information using his personal phone and shared the data with his cousin, who was seeking to locate the woman.
The officer's actions were discovered in February 2025 when the woman reported to police that the man she was accusing of domestic violence had conveyed to her that he knew where she was. Police ran her license plate through the Flock database and discovered the improper access. The officer was fired in April 2025 following a yearlong investigation.
Reported impact
The officer's misuse of the license plate reader enabled the domestic violence suspect to locate his accuser, creating a safety risk for the woman. Police Chief Paul Joseph stated the officer's actions constituted 'a betrayal of the public's trust.'
Index analysis
The incident illustrates vulnerability in how law enforcement officers can access automated license plate reader data from personal devices without proper authorization. State law makes it illegal for officers to access confidential criminal databases without legitimate law-enforcement purpose, but does not currently cover data from automated license plate readers.
Governance controls
In response to the incident, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph issued a department-wide directive prohibiting officers from accessing any law-enforcement databases from personal electronic devices. The improper access was detected through an audit trail despite use of a personal device.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.