SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Law enforcement organizations in California released an automated license plate reader (ALPR) policy framework and called on lawmakers to enact statewide standards governing the technology.
The California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) and California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA) banded together to create the resource, which proposes training, oversight and transparency policies related to the technology.
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“The men and women using these systems every day want clear standards that protect the public and allow them to do their jobs effectively,” PORAC President Brian Marvel said in a statement released to Police1. “This framework makes clear who may access ALPR information, why they may access it, and what happens when those rules are intentionally violated. It also ensures vendors entrusted with sensitive law enforcement data are held accountable.”
The framework begins with policies for training and certification, including recommendations that ALPR access require a certification number issued only after completion of POST-approved training, that certifications be renewed annually and that certification numbers be individual and not shared under group accounts.
The guidelines also recommend that training cover authorized and prohibited uses, privacy and ethics, applicable law, data-sharing restrictions, documentation rules and consequences of misuse.
Next, the framework makes recommendations for accountability and oversight, including authorizing the DOJ to conduct randomized compliance audits, requiring periodic internal audits, establishing a targeted criminal offense for law enforcement ALPR misuse and laying out corrective actions.
The agencies also proposed policies to increase transparency, including agency-specific ALPR transparency webpages that contain policy information, aggregate usage reporting and current information. The framework recommends mandatory search documentation, limiting search purposes to exclude immigration enforcement and other activity protected by California law, historical data safeguards, and encryption and security controls.
Finally, the framework recommends policies to keep license plate and other identifying data within the state, prohibiting “default national lookup, silent statewide sharing, or built-in federal/out-of-state query access.” It would also establish complete logs and incident notices, and prohibit the sale of data.
“California’s sheriffs understand both the tremendous public safety value of ALPR technology and the responsibility that comes with access to this information,” said CSSA President Chad Bianco. “This framework creates clear rules for agencies, officers, and technology companies while ensuring legitimate law enforcement investigations are not undermined. Strong safeguards and effective public safety are not competing goals.”
