Mayor Bill Wells responds to California suing the city of El Cajon

EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The City of El Cajon is being sued by the State of California for their police department using license plate readers and sharing that information without of state agencies.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit at a press conference on Friday, implying that the mayor and police department are violating the constitutional rights of citizens by sharing data collected by automated license plate readers, also known as ALPRs.

"Frankly, I was a little stunned. Our office had had some discussions with the state about this but there was no indication there was going to be a press conference or even a lawsuit," Wells commented.

Bonta argues that the city of El Cajon and Mayor are breaking the law in place from Senate Bill 34, which was passed in 2015 by the state legislature.

"There's no indication that what he is saying is true," argues Wells.

The mayor went on to say they have roughly 100 cameras in place. He gave examples of the positives that law enforcement has seen from implementing the cameras and how they have helped them in several situations.

"It's a political game and peoples lives are on the line," said Wells.

From here, El Cajon's mayor says that the city council will look at the lawsuit and decide whether or not to fight it.