Surveillance Technology and Community Safety Ordinance
In 2016, the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors adopted the Surveillance Technology and Community Safety Ordinance. This ordinance is designed to balance the public's right to privacy with the need to promote and ensure community safety and modern business operations. With this intention, the surveillance policy development process is aimed at ensuring transparency, oversight, and accountability for surveillance technology usage. Surveillance technology is defined as, “Any electronic device, system using an electronic device, or similar technological tool used, designed, or primarily intended to collect, retain, process, or share audio, electronic, visual, location, thermal, olfactory, or similar information specifically associated with, or capable of being associated with, any individual or group.”
For Public Safety and Justice Departments (Office of the District Attorney, Office of Pretrial Services, Probation Department, Office of the Public Defender, Office of the Sheriff), there is an additional surveillance related review process that the Board adopted on December 12, 2023 that incorporates the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM). With respect to surveillance technology, OCLEM assists the Chief Privacy Officer and County Counsel with the vetting required by the Surveillance-Technology and Community-Safety Ordinance for surveillance technologies used for law enforcement or jail-related purposes.
Surveillance Technology related reports: