What Do License Plate Cameras Do

Automated License Plate Readers

Past Pam Greenberg | Vol . 23, No. 08 / February 2015

NCSL News Did you know?

Automatic license plate reader (ALPRs) systems combine high-speed cameras and sophisticated software to capture and convert license plate images into data that tin be compared with data in other databases.
Cameras used in ALPRs may exist mobile or stationary and are small enough to exist mounted on police cars, road signs or traffic lights, or placed at the sides of roads or on bridges.
License plate reader systems tin can collect a commuter's geographic location, forth with the date and time a vehicle was in a particular place.

Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) capture computer-readable images of license plates. These high-tech devices allow police force enforcement agencies to compare plate numbers against those of stolen cars or cars driven by people suspected of being involved in criminal or terrorist activities. ALPR systems too are used by the private sector, for case, to repossess vehicles if payments are in default, to monitor parking or to control admission to private holding, among other purposes. As ALPR use has increased, country lawmakers take begun to accost the complex bug they heighten about privacy and appropriate uses of the data.

ALPRs are rapidly becoming widely used by law enforcement agencies. A 2012 survey by the Police Executive Inquiry Forum found that 71 pct of police departments responding used the systems, and 85 percent planned to expand their use or buy new equipment.

Although ALPRs typically are non mentioned in most state public records laws, the data they collect is often considered public, since such laws often are based on the presumption that the information is open to public disclosure unless specifically exempted or otherwise prohibited. The systems, still, have raised concerns that the information collected may be inaccurate, shared without restrictions, retained longer than necessary, and used or driveling in ways that could infringe upon citizens' privacy. Restricting access to ALPR data tin protect people from being tracked and convalesce concerns about confidentiality, simply it also can limit oversight of government utilize of the tool.

Concerns Well-nigh Using Data From ALPRs. The large amount of ALPR information beingness collected is growing more chop-chop than are policies and procedures governing their apply, say privacy advocates. ALPRs capture and retain the location data and photographs of all vehicles, regardless of whether the driver is a suspect or wanted for a crime. In a review of retentivity policies of constabulary enforcement agencies in 2012, the American Civil Liberties Spousal relationship establish that many retain data on innocent Americans for long periods of time. Inaccuracies in databases used with ALPRs could lead to fake matches of license plates to innocent individuals.

Further, ALPRs tin collect detailed location information, such equally trips to church, medical facilities, political protests, bars or other locations that could be used to build a profile or permanent record of a person's movements. This type of surveillance can create a chilling effect on individuals, who may feel pressured to limit their normal activities, say civil libertarians.

Another concern is that workers with access to ALPR data could misuse information technology for personal reasons or share or sell it without authorization. Also, some private companies reportedly take amassed millions of license plate scans, leading to concerns about the data being shared or sold for questionable purposes.

Benefits of Using Information From ALPRs. ALPRs have been an effective tool for law enforcement agencies, cut down on the time required for investigations and decreasing costs for agencies struggling with limited budgets. System cameras tin can scan thousands of plates in a very curt time, allowing police to identify stolen vehicles and drivers who accept outstanding traffic violations and expired registrations or plates. For example, a 2011 study by the Police force Executive Inquiry Forum concluded that ALPRs used past the Mesa, Ariz., Police Section considerably enhanced the productivity of the auto theft unit, resulting in "nearly 3 times as many 'hits' for stolen vehicles, and twice as many vehicle recoveries."

Automated license plate readers are most commonly used for immediately identifying vehicles on a "hot listing," which requires the license plate information to be retained for only a short time. ALPR systems that store data for longer periods, nevertheless, can be used to identify patterns of criminal offense and to locate possible suspects or areas of criminal activeness. Police can target their investigations to more serious crimes, such as drug trafficking, burglaries or terrorist activities.

Concerns about privacy should exist alleviated, ALPR supporters say, because the information collected does not include personal information about drivers and, until the license plate number is matched to other data, information technology cannot identify an private. Farther, ALPRs collect information that already is publicly available to anyone.

State Action

Ten states accept enacted laws restricting or prohibiting use of ALPRs or ALPR data by law enforcement.

Six—Arkansas, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Utah and Vermont—place restrictions on regime or police enforcement use of ALPRs. Viii states limit how long information can exist retained— ranging from 21 days in Maine to three years in Colorado. Florida, Maine, Maryland and Utah laws specify that ALPR data is confidential and exempt under public records laws.

Arkansas, Maine and New Hampshire besides prohibit individual use of ALPRs, with express exceptions.

The Arkansas and Utah statutes, however, have been met with courtroom challenges on First Amendment claims. Utah after amended its law in 2014, removing restrictions on private sector use ofALPRs.

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Source: https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/automated-license-plate-readers.aspx#:~:text=Automated%20license%20plate%20readers%20(ALPRs,in%20criminal%20or%20terrorist%20activities.

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