San Jose Officer Fired for Sharing Flock Camera Data With Domestic Violence Suspect

A San Jose cop was fired after using Flock license plate reader data to help his cousin track down a domestic violence victim. Neither man has been charged.

San Jose Police Officer Dismissed for Leaking License Plate Data to Abuse Suspect

A San Jose police officer was terminated after using the Flock automated license plate reader system to provide a vehicle's location to his cousin — a domestic violence suspect who then used that information to track down the woman who had accused him of abuse, NY Post Metro reports.

The officer accessed the Flock camera network via his personal phone and relayed the location data to his relative. San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph confirmed the firing in a statement on Friday: "When an officer violates the public's trust this severely, my responsibility is clear: that person cannot remain in a position of police authority, and they cannot wear the San Jose badge. This technology is new; the standard is not."

According to The Mercury News, the officer was dismissed in April following a yearlong internal investigation. Because he had been officially authorized to access the database prior to the incident, he did not technically commit a crime under existing law. In the wake of the case, however, law enforcement personnel are no longer permitted to query the Flock system from personal devices.

The incident is part of a broader pattern of officers misusing the surveillance technology. A Costa Mesa officer pleaded guilty in April for using Flock readers to track his mistress and a romantic rival. A New York sheriff's investigator was arrested last week on allegations of using the cameras to locate her ex-girlfriend's vehicle thousands of times.

San Jose hosts roughly 500 Flock cameras across the city, a deployment that has drawn both criticism and support from residents. A lawsuit filed in 2025 alleges the cameras violate individuals' rights. "It makes me feel less safe. I feel like they're trying to just kind of mass monitor everyone," one resident told ABC 7. Another, San Jose resident Binh Nguyen, offered a different view: "With technology like that, with a flock camera that runs 24 seven, you can't do any more illegal like you used to."

The fired officer and his cousin have not yet faced criminal charges.

Source: NY Post Metro