Use of Facial Recognition by Law Enforcement in Santa Clara County Past and Present

After dozens of public records requests, the CPC has been able to piece together the history of the use of facial recognition by law enforcement in Santa Clara County.

Executive Summary

This table summarizes the findings of a recent investigation conducted by the Citizens Privacy Coalition of Santa Clara County. It shows the facial recognition’s extent of use in by nearly every law enforcement agency in the county. Notice that currently no entities are confirmed to be currently using facial recognition, but the technology is yet to be banned anywhere, and a couple cities have expressed interest in the surveillance tactic.

As can be seen, no law enforcement agency in the County claims to currently be employing the use of facial recognition surveillance. However, several have either tested it’s use or employed it previously, namely the Sheriff’s Department, San José, and Mountain View.

Use the links in the table below to see the details about each city. While your at it, sign your city’s petition to ban facial recognition surveillance!

City (By Population) Has Banned Facial Recognition? Currently Uses of Facial Recognition? Previously Used Facial Recognition? Coalition Representative?
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Santa Clara County No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Yes Yes Sign the petition Read the report
San José No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Has tested it Yes Sign the petition Read the report
Sunnyvale No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Santa Clara No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Mountain View No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Has tested it No Sign the petition Read the report
Milpitas No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Palo Alto No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Unknown/Under investigation No Sign the petition Read the report
Cupertino No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Yes No Sign the petition Read the report
Gilroy No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Campbell No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Morgan Hill No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Saratoga No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Yes No Sign the petition Read the report
Los Gatos No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
Los Altos No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Unknown/Under investigation No Sign the petition Read the report
Los Altos Hills No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
Yes No Sign the petition Read the report
Monte Sereno No Limited Use *
Investigation ongoing
No No Sign the petition Read the report
*The County utilizes Digital PhotoManager by DataWorks Plus to manage mugshots of inmates. Every single police department in the County also has access to the program. It has facial recognition capabilities, but it is unclear if any agency is actively using that feature. The CPC will continue to investigate.

Campbell Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Campbell Police Department.

The City of Cupertino

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition in the City of Cupertino.

Gilroy Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Gilroy Police Department.

Los Altos Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Los Altos Police Department.

The City of Los Altos Hills

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition in the Los Altos Hills.

Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department.

Milpitas Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Milpitas Police Department.

The City of Monte Sereno

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition in the City of Monte Sereno.

Morgan Hill Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Morgan Hill Police Department.

Mountain View Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Mountain View Police Department.

Palo Alto Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Palo Alto Police Department.

San José Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the San José Police Department.

Santa Clara Police Department

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Santa Clara Police Department.

The City of Saratoga

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition in the City of Saratoga.

Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety

Details surrounding the use of facial recognition by the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.

Last modified February 22, 2021: SJ SERO Proposal Contact Form (#4) (566b314)