Lurie Cuts License Plate Data Window to 30 Days, Tightens Search Rules
Mayor's Press Conference • San FranciscoSeptember 29, 2026
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San Francisco police will soon have one month, not one year, to search the city's license plate reader data. Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the executive policy change Sept. 29, 2026, along with new search documentation rules. State and local prosecutors also said they would pursue a bill to make misuse of the data a crime.
- Retention cut from 12 months to 30 days, then data is removed from the vendor's platform
- Every search must carry an incident number, a stated reason and a logged user
- Assemblymember Matt Haney and DA Brooke Jenkins plan a state bill criminalizing misuse of the data; penalties are still undecided
- Department of Police Accountability audit of SFPD license plate reader use will be published when complete
- SEIU Local 87 and Tenderloin Supervisor Mahmoud back the package as reporters press on camera backlash
The basics: Automated license plate readers, or ALPR, are cameras that capture and log vehicle plates. Police can search the stored records to trace where a car has been.
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