(BCN) — Mountain View police criticized the company supplying its automated license plate reader system after an audit turned up "unauthorized" use by federal law enforcement agencies. At least six offices of four agencies accessed data from the first camera in the city's Flock Safety license-tra cking system from August to November 2024 without the police department's permission or knowledge, according to a press release Friday night. Helicopters to fly at low altitudes around Bay Area ahead of Super Bowl LX, officials warn Flock Safety operates hundreds of AI-powered automated license plate readers across the Bay Area including in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Citizen groups in some cities have voiced fierce opposition over concerns that federal agencies could access and use the data to target immigrants and damage civil rights. File: A "License Plate Reader" (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images) Mountain View police praised the system for helping officers investigate burglaries, home break-ins and a reported kidnapping. The city said its system was accessed by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offices in Kentucky and Tennessee, which investigate crimes related to guns, explosives, arson and the illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco; the inspector general's office of the U.S. General Services Administration, which manages federal buildings, procurement, and property; Air Force bases in Langley, Virginia, and in Ohio; and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. Bay Area protesters join ‘Stop ICE Day of Action’ They accessed Mountain View's system for one camera via a "nationwide" search setting that was turned on by Flock Safety, police said. "We have been very clear about our expectations of adherence to our data policy and providing transparency to our community," according to the statement. "We are upset and disappointed with how our data was accessed, and we are sorry that this occurred." Police called the incorrect setting a system failure by Flock Safety. "MVPD worked closely with Flock Safety during the outset of the program to design a model that strictly prohibited out-of-state data sharing and ensured that any agency receiving access to Mountain View's data was approved by the police chief or his designee," police said. Police say the issue will be taken to the City Council. "Currently, staff is evaluating our relationship with Flock Safety and assessing alternative vendors that offer similar capabilities and a stronger track record of data protection, oversight, and transparency," police said. Copyright © 2026 Bay City News, Inc. ...read more read less