San Diego is on a dangerous path towards a surveillance state, marked by an alarming proliferation of surveillance technologies. In Hillcrest, the city’s LGBTQ+ district, the installation of tools like license plate readers is unsupported by evidence and represents an assault on constitutional rights. This is deeply problematic for a community already disproportionately impacted by police criminalization and contact.
The San Diego Police Department claims license plate readers and similar technologies “provide law enforcement with another proven technology to provide leads, collect evidence of criminal activity, and successfully close cases in a very efficient and cost-effective manner.” However, independent research contradicts these assertions. In reality, they increase opportunities for surveillance and erode fundamental rights.
Surveillance technologies are tools of oppression that serve to monitor and control, rather than protect. Studies from cities across the U.S. indicate that while license plate readers may help police recover stolen vehicles, there is no evidence to suggest they increase arrests, deter crime or enhance safety. Some studies even show these tools merely displace crime.
The legal implications of license plate readers are just as damning: Legal scholars have raised serious privacy and surveillance concerns about their use. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned, “awareness that the [government] may be watching chills associative and expressive freedoms. And … is susceptible to abuse.” The collection and use of this data by corporations and the government raises significant First and Fourth Amendment concerns. This power is ripe for abuse, and history has shown us that it will be abused.
San Diego officials parrot the empty promises of the unverified claims of corporations, whose primary interest is profit, not public safety. The $2 million dollar annual cost of operating these technologies is a waste of taxpayer money which is better spent on community programs that address the underlying issues of crime.
In Hillcrest, a neighborhood historically serving LGBTQ+ people, the deployment of these surveillance technologies is especially pernicious. LGBTQ+ people have historically been criminalized and overpoliced specifically because of their gender and sexual orientation, even as advancements in LGBTQ+ rights have been made. A recent ACLU report highlights ongoing mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people by police, and police raids on gay bars in Seattle at the start of the year are a stark reminder that LGBTQ+ communities remain under siege. Claims that technology will protect LGBTQ+ people do not align with the ongoing practices of law enforcement.
Increased surveillance is not only imposed onto LGBTQ+ communities but is increasingly adopted by community members themselves. The support among LGBTQ+ leaders and the purchase and installation of license plate leaders among LGBTQ+ business owners is deeply concerning. Both Gossip Grill and Rich’s purchased license plate readers to “protect against hate crimes and attacks.” This move betrays the very communities these establishments claim to serve.
The notion that technology can prevent crime, as claimed by city leaders and business owners, is unfounded. Even if research aligned with business owners’ claims, the potential collusion between LGBTQ+ businesses and local law enforcement is concerning for a community already overpoliced and underprotected.
The adaptation of surveillance technology incites fear within the community as crime data stands in contradiction to claims by local leaders. While they claim hate crimes are increasing, San Diego’s hate crime data shows only between one and four anti-LGBTQ+ motivated hate crimes were reported in Hillcrest annually from 2016 to 2023. California prosecutorial data similarly shows hate crimes are rarely filed, let alone convicted. The reality is that experiences of hate often go unrecognized and unaddressed by the legal system, even when reported. Surveillance technology only amplifies already existing inequalities.
While city officials and business leaders believe surveillance technology like license plate readers can enhance public safety, the lack of supporting evidence and potential harm to LGBTQ+ communities specifically suggests a need for more cautious and evidence-based approaches to safety.
Grasso is a lecturer at Cal State San Marcos and a doctoral candidate in criminology, law and society at UC Irvine. They are from San Diego and live in West Hollywood. Rising is a graduate student in criminology, law and society at UC Irvine and alumnus of San Diego City College. He is a native of National City.
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