Split City Council votes to keep surveillance camera network throughout San Diego

A split San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to approve policies regarding several police technology tools, including its controversial network of automated license plate readers.

The vote came as the council reviewed 54 surveillance technologies that police use, which also include cameras officers wear on their uniforms, SWAT robots and other tactical equipment, and cameras on streetlight poles.

The council split 5-3 to approve policies related to the continued use of automated license plate readers, with one councilmember absent.

The license plate readers, from provider Flock, emerged as the most polarizing. Police praise them as crime-fighting tools, while opponents fear they provide mass surveillance and endanger communities rather than protecting them — particularly amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“Given the current federal administration, these systems pose a risk of misuse, and their impact on my communities can be very significant,” Councilmember Vivian Moreno said.

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera spoke of the loss of trust in using the technology. “Entire communities are being given legitimate reason to fear their own government, and that fear grows by the day. … But we can mitigate it, and we can do things to not make them feel even more scared,” he said.

Councilm...