Community Message from Police Chief Mike Canfield

View the official letter from Police Chief Mike Canfield.

To the Mountain View Community,

I am sharing with you an important decision I have made regarding the City of Mountain View's Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) pilot program and the values guiding my decision. I also want to thank you for the feedback we've received from concerned residents about the City's pilot program. Effective immediately, all Flock Safety ALPR cameras in Mountain View will be turned off. These cameras will remain inactive until our City Council provides further direction about the future of having Flock Safety ALPR cameras in our community. The City Council is anticipated to discuss this matter at its February 24 meeting.

I made this decision after careful consideration and deliberation. While the Flock Safety pilot program demonstrated clear value in enhancing our ability to protect our community and help us solve crimes, I personally no longer have confidence in this particular vendor. Like many of you, I was deeply disappointed to learn that Flock Safety did not meet the City's requirements regarding our data access control and transparency.

The existence of access by out of state agencies, without the City's awareness, that circumvented the protections we purposefully built and believed were in place is frankly unacceptable to me and to the dedicated people of the MVPD. Furthermore, this vendor's lack of proactive disclosure is inconsistent with the standards the MVPD holds and the assurances we were given by the Flock team. I, in turn, gave assurances to the community that I now know were not grounded in the Flock system's actual practice.

Community trust is more important than any individual tool. We know that the most vital asset in public safety is not technology; it is the relationship we have with you, the people we are here to serve and protect. I share your anger and frustration regarding how Flock Safety's system enabled out-of-state agencies to search our license plate data, and I am sorry that such searches occurred. I know how essential transparency is for maintaining trust and for community policing. This is why MVPD has been so open about what we learned and why we are pausing this program until our City Council can weigh in.

I am proud of the work of the MVPD and our dedication to our Mountain View community, and I value the support we receive from our residents. Our commitment remains unchanged: to protect this community from harm, to ensure Mountain View remains safe, and to uphold our shared value of being a "Community for All." Again, I personally want to apologize to our community and thank you for your continued engagement and support. We will keep you informed as this process moves forward, and we remain committed to listening to, learning from, protecting, and serving you.

Respectfully,

Mike Canfield
Police Chief

Reference: City of Mountain View Statement (1/30/26)