Santa Clara County
County record. Includes every city and agency within Santa Clara County.
Technology presence
What these categories mean
- ALPR
- Automated license plate readers (ALPR): camera systems that automatically capture, read, and log vehicle license plates with location and time, producing a searchable record of vehicle movements.
- Fixed cameras & RTCC
- Agency-operated fixed video cameras and the real-time crime centers (RTCC) that aggregate live and recorded feeds for monitoring. Extends the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas, which enumerates real-time crime centers and camera registries but not standalone fixed-camera estates.
- Face recognition
- Software that matches faces in images or video against a reference database to identify or verify individuals.
- Drones / UAS
- Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly called drones, operated by an agency for overhead observation, imaging, or sensing.
- Gunshot detection
- Networks of acoustic sensors that detect and locate suspected gunfire and alert an agency.
- Body-worn & dashcam
- Officer body-worn and in-vehicle dashboard cameras that record encounters; public access to the footage is frequently restricted.
- Doorbell & camera registry
- Programs that give an agency access to privately owned camera footage: doorbell-camera partnerships, citizen camera registries, and private-camera integration platforms.
- Cell-site simulators
- Devices that mimic cell towers to locate or identify nearby mobile phones. They are often called Stingrays, or IMSI catchers after the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number that identifies each phone on a network. Adjacent: communications surveillance outside the visual/sensor core.
- Predictive policing
- Software that forecasts where crime may occur or who may be involved, to direct policing. Adjacent: analytics rather than a sensing deployment.
- Social-media monitoring
- Tools that collect and analyze public social-media activity for an agency. Adjacent: open-source/communications monitoring outside the visual/sensor core.
The record, by agency
Los Gatos Police Department
The Los Gatos Police Department has 33 Flock Safety automated license plate readers and other cameras as of July 2025.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
Sunnyvale Police Department
The Sunnyvale Police Department has 16 Flock Safety automated license plate readers and other cameras as of July 2025.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety
City of Cupertino
Operated by Santa Clara County Sheriff under contract to the City of Cupertino.
The City of Cupertino, which is patrolled by the Santa Clara County Sheriff, is spending about $60,000 for 15 automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Jose Spotlight
Campbell Police Department
The Campbell Police Department operates a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): AxonAxonCommercial UAV News
As of April 2024, the Campbell Police Department operates 22 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverGovernment webpage
In 2008, the Campbell Police Department purchased body-worn cameras with grant funding. The department has body-worn cameras for every officer assigned to the patrol division.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Campbell Police DepartmentMercury News
The Campbell Police Department signed a contract with the Los Gatos Police Department to use PredPol (now Geolitica) predictive policing software in 2012.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Los Gatos Police Department
The Campbell Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras through Motorola Solutions' CityProtect platform.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): CityProtect
Mountain View Police Department
The Mountain View Police Department operates automated license plate readers. The city council approved a one-year agreement with Flock Safety to install 24 automatic license plate readers in 2024.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Mountain View VoiceMountain View Police Department
The Mountain View Police Department purchased 66 Axon body-worn cams in 2015 for $135,000.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Mountain View VoiceNBC Bay AreaKTVU
Santa Clara Police Department
As of April 2024, the Santa Clara Police Department operates 17 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The Santa Clara Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of Santa Clara
The Santa Clara Police Department uses drones.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Santa Clara Police Department
San Jose Police Department
As of April 2024, the San Jose Police Department operates 241 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 365 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The San Jose Police Department operated 18 drones as of 2022.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Jose Police DepartmentCenter for the Study of the Drone at Bard Collegewww.mercurynews.com
The San Jose Police Department acquired cell-site simulator technology in 2013, according data compiled by Kevin Collier for Vocativ.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): VocativKevin CollierABC 10
The San Jose Police Department began using Axon body-worn cameras for all officers in 2016.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Jose Police DepartmentAxon
The San Jose Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): City of San Jose
Los Altos Police Department
As of April 2024, the Los Altos Police Department operates 10 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The Los Altos Police Department entered a five-year contract with Axon for body-worn Cameras in 2018.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Los Altos Town CrierLos Altos Police Department Facebook
The Los Altos Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras through Motorola Solutions' CityProtect platform.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): CityProtectLos Altos Police Department
Morgan Hill Police Department
As of April 2024, the Morgan Hill Police Department operates 49 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
The Morgan Hill Police Department began using body-worn cameras in 2011. The agency switched from VieVu to Axon BWCs in 2019.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Morgan Hill City CouncilMorgan Hill Police DepartmentMorgan Hill Police Department Facebook
Morgan Hill Police Department has been using PredPol (now Geolitica) since June, 2011. According to Morgan Hill's 2014-2015 budget, patrol checks based on PredPol (now Geolitica) data were conducted 3,900 times.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): PredPolKSBWCity of Morgan Hill
Palo Alto Police Department
As of April 2024, the Palo Alto Police Department operates 21 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
Palo Alto Police department purchased 50 Vista HD body-worn cameras for $49,000 in 2018 and spent an additional $49,500 on cloud storage and accessories.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Palo Alto City CouncilPalo Alto Police DepartmentPalo Alto Police Department Instagram
Gilroy Police Department
As of April 2024, the Gilroy Police Department operates 39 Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The agency stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock SafetyThe News & ObserverThe News & Observer
Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is an operator and end-user of cellular communications interception technology.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Santa Clara County DA
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety operated three drones as of 2023.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Sunnyvale Department of Public SafetySunnyvale Department of Public Safetysunnyvale.ca.gov
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety began using Axon body-worn cameras in 2016.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Facebook PageThe Mercury News
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department
The Town of Los Gatos entered a five-year, $377,000 contract with Axon for body-worn cameras in 2020.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police DepartmentLos Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Facebook
The Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department uses PredPol (now Geolitica) predictive policing software.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): VendorThe Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police DepartmentSan Jose Mercury News
The Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Town of Los Gatos
West Valley-Mission Community College District Police Department
The West Valley-Mission Community College District Police Department used body-worn cameras as of 2021.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): West Valley-Mission Community College District Police DepartmentWest Valley-Mission Community College District Administration
Milpitas Police Department
The Milpitas Police Department equipped 84 officers with Axon body-worn cameras in 2017.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Mercury NewsMilpitas Police Department Policy Manual
The City of Milpitas approved the purchase of 20 automated license plate readers from Flock Safety in May 2020.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Milpitas Police DepartmentCalifornia State AuditorCity of Milpitas
San Jose State University Police Department
The San Jose State University Police Department uses Axon body-worn cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): San Jose State UniversitySJSU PDSan Jose State Univeristy Police Department Facebook page
U.S. Customs and Border Protection - San Jose International Airport
The San Jose International Airport is one of 18 airports where Customs and Border Protection is using face recognition technology as of March 2019. An executive order signed by Pres. Trump in 2019 requires Customs and Border Protection to install face recognition technology at the United States' top 20 airports by 2021.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): BuzzfeedTechCrunch
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office ordered 1,200 Axon body-worn Cameras in 2017.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Cision
As of April 2025, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office operates 93 Flock Safety automated license plate readers and stores ALPR data for 30 days.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Flock Safety
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office maintains a voluntary registry of private and personal surveillance cameras.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Santa Clara County Sheriff's OfficeCityProtect
Foothill De Anza Police Department
The U.S. Department of Justice awarded $27,194 to the Foothill De Anza Police Department in 2016 as part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's body-worn camera grant program.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): U.S Department of Justicewww.mercurynews.comlavozdeanza.com
San Jose Evergreen Community College District Police Department
The San Jose Evergreen Community College District Police Department shares automated license plate data with the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): The Center for Human Rights and PrivacyNCRIC
City of Saratoga
Operated by Santa Clara County Sheriff under contract to the City of Saratoga.
The City of Saratoga, which is patrolled by the Santa Clara County Sheriff, has seven Flock Safety automated license plate readers.
Sources (via the EFF Atlas): Saratoga
Source: EFF Atlas of Surveillance (Electronic Frontier Foundation & University of Nevada, Reno — Reynolds School of Journalism) · CC BY 4.0 · retrieved July 2026