police-car-lights.jpg

Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS)

By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy statement.

Last updated on May 26, 2026

The Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS) ordinance aims to protect privacy, civil liberties, and the democratic process by requiring police departments to get community buy-in before acquiring new surveillance technologies.

Since 9/11, police departments across the United States have received billions of dollars in federal anti-terrorism grants. Hundreds of millions of these dollars have been spent on surveillance equipment—usually without any public debate or democratic oversight. Too often, community members remain in the dark about these surveillance programs, and so don’t have any say about how they function.

The Community Control Over Police Surveillance (CCOPS) ordinance sets up a democratic, transparent process so the public is fully informed and engaged in the conversation about what police departments are doing, and why.

Learn More

For information about how to organize, including talking points, please email Kade Crockford at kcrockford@aclum.org.

Related Content

Initiative
Aug 2026
Automatic License plate readers above a highway in daylight. Location pins demonstrate tracking of vehicles in the background.
  • Privacy and Surveillance

Get The FLOCK Out: Community Advocacy Toolkit

With Flock Safety's license plate reader (LPR) technology, law enforcement agencies across the country can track Massachusetts drivers in real-time — without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Flock's nationwide data sharing model puts our civil rights and civil liberties at risk. Use our toolkit and conversation guide to advocate for change in your community, and check out ACLU's national resource guide for additional information.