Community advocates are asking the San Diego City Council to pull funding for license plate readers days before the city’s 2026 fiscal year budget is due to be finalized.

Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) capture images of vehicles and their plates. This information is then sent to law enforcement databases to scan for vehicles of interest.

The readers are meant to increase security and civilian safety, but critics fear overreach by law enforcement agencies.

The Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego Coalition started in 2019, bringing together over 30 community organizations to advocate against surveillance systems like ALPRs.

The main point of contention is data privacy, particularly who has access. Those who are part of the coalition question whet

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