Mountain View Votes to Terminate Flock Contract After Unauthorized Federal Access

The Mountain View City Council voted unanimously in February 2026 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, just 18 months after deploying its first camera in August 2024.

The decision followed an internal audit commissioned by the city manager's office that revealed federal law enforcement agencies and departments from other states had accessed Mountain View's license plate reader data on numerous occasions. The audit found the access violated both city policy and California's SB 34 privacy protections.

"We deployed this technology in good faith to improve public safety outcomes for Mountain View residents," Mayor Pat Showalter said. "When we discovered that our data was being accessed in ways we explicitly prohibited, we had an obligation to act."

The city had installed 15 Flock Safety cameras at key intersections following unanimous council approval in 2024. Early results showed the cameras contributed to several vehicle theft recoveries and at least two burglary arrests. The council acknowledged the public safety value but said the privacy violations were disqualifying.

Flock Safety expressed disappointment with the decision and said it had implemented new access controls in response to the concerns raised. The company noted that Mountain View's cameras had a lower rate of unauthorized access than many other California jurisdictions.

The termination process is expected to take 90 days. The city is evaluating whether to replace the system with a more restricted alternative or abandon ALPR technology altogether. Civil liberties groups praised the decision as a model for other municipalities reconsidering their surveillance infrastructure.