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503
San Luis Obispo Police Department
San Luis Obispo PD CA Policy Manual
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
503.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance for the capture, storage and use of digital data
obtained through the use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology.
503.2 POLICY
The policy of the San Luis Obispo Police Department is to utilize ALPR technology to capture
and store digital license plate data and images while recognizing the established privacy rights
of the public.
All data and images gathered by the ALPR are for the official use of this department. Because
such data may contain confidential information, it is not open to public review.
503.3 ADMINISTRATION
The ALPR technology, also known as License Plate Recognition (LPR), allows for the automated
detection of license plates. It is used by the San Luis Obispo Police Department to convert data
associated with vehicle license plates for official law enforcement purposes, including identifying
stolen or wanted vehicles, stolen license plates and missing persons. It may also be used to
gather information related to active warrants, homeland security, electronic surveillance, suspect
interdiction and stolen property recovery.
All installation and maintenance of ALPR equipment, as well as ALPR data retention and access,
shall be managed by the Administration Deputy Chief. The Administration Deputy Chief will assign
members under his/her command to administer the day-to-day operation of the ALPR equipment
and data.
503.3.1 ALPR ADMINISTRATOR
The Administration Deputy Chief shall be responsible for developing guidelines and procedures
to comply with the requirements of Civil Code § 1798.90.5 et seq. This includes, but is not limited
to (Civil Code § 1798.90.51; Civil Code § 1798.90.53):
(a) A description of the job title or other designation of the members and independent
contractors who are authorized to use or access the ALPR system or to collect ALPR
information.
(b) Training requirements for authorized users.
(c) A description of how the ALPR system will be monitored to ensure the security of the
information and compliance with applicable privacy laws.
(d) Procedures for system operators to maintain records of access in compliance with
Civil Code § 1798.90.52.
(e) The title and name of the current designee in overseeing the ALPR operation.
(f) Working with the Custodian of Records on the retention and destruction of ALPR data.
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Department
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) -
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San Luis Obispo Police Department
San Luis Obispo PD CA Policy Manual
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
(g) Ensuring this policy and related procedures are conspicuously posted on the
department’s website.
503.4 OPERATIONS
Use of an ALPR is restricted to the purposes outlined below. Department members shall not use,
or allow others to use the equipment or database records for any unauthorized purpose (Civil
Code § 1798.90.51; Civil Code § 1798.90.53).
(a)An ALPR shall only be used for official law enforcement business.
(b)An ALPR may be used in conjunction with any routine patrol operation or criminal
investigation. Reasonable suspicion or probable cause is not required before using
an ALPR.
(c)While an ALPR may be used to canvass license plates around any crime scene,
particular consideration should be given to using ALPR-equipped cars to canvass
areas around homicides, shootings and other major incidents. Partial license plates
reported during major crimes should be entered into the ALPR system in an attempt
to identify suspect vehicles.
(d)No member of this department shall operate ALPR equipment or access ALPR data
without first completing department-approved training.
(e)No ALPR operator may access department, state or federal data unless otherwise
authorized to do so.
(f)If practicable, the officer should verify an ALPR response through the California Law
Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) before taking enforcement action
that is based solely on an ALPR alert.
503.5 DATA COLLECTION AND RETENTION
The Administration Deputy Chief is responsible for ensuring systems and processes are in place
for the proper collection and retention of ALPR data. Data will be transferred from vehicles to the
designated storage in accordance with department procedures.
All ALPR data downloaded to the server should be stored for a minimum of one year and in
accordance with the established records retention schedule. Thereafter, ALPR data should be
purged unless it has become, or it is reasonable to believe it will become, evidence in a criminal or
civil action or is subject to a discovery request or other lawful action to produce records. In those
circumstances the applicable data should be downloaded from the server onto portable media
and booked into evidence.
503.6 ACCOUNTABILITY
All data will be closely safeguarded and protected by both procedural and technological means.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department will observe the following safeguards regarding access
to and use of stored data (Civil Code § 1798.90.51; Civil Code § 1798.90.53):
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Published with permission by San Luis Obispo Police
Department
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) -
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San Luis Obispo Police Department
San Luis Obispo PD CA Policy Manual
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs)
(a)All ALPR data downloaded to the mobile workstation and in storage shall be accessible
only through a login/password-protected system capable of documenting all access
of information by name, date and time (Civil Code § 1798.90.52).
(b)Members approved to access ALPR data under these guidelines are permitted to
access the data for legitimate law enforcement purposes only, such as when the data
relate to a specific criminal investigation or department-related civil or administrative
action.
(c)ALPR system audits should be conducted on a regular basis.
For security or data breaches, see the Records Release and Maintenance Policy.
503.7 RELEASING ALPR DATA
The ALPR data may be shared only with public agencies and only as otherwise permitted by law
(Civil Code § 1798.90.55).
For purposes of this section, a public agency is limited to California state or local agencies,
including law enforcement agencies, and does not include out-of-state or federal law enforcement
agencies (Civil Code § 1798.90.5).
The following procedures are guidelines for ALPR requests:
(a) The agency makes a written request for the ALPR data that includes:
1. The name of the agency.
2. The name of the person requesting.
3. The intended purpose of obtaining the information.
(b) The request is reviewed by the Administration Deputy Chief or the authorized designee
and approved before the request is fulfilled.
(c) The approved request is retained on file.
Requests for ALPR data by non-California public agencies will be processed as provided in the
Records Maintenance and Release Policy (Civil Code § 1798.90.55).
503.8 TRAINING
The Training Manager should ensure that members receive department-approved training for
those authorized to use or access the ALPR system (Civil Code § 1798.90.51; Civil Code §
1798.90.53).
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Published with permission by San Luis Obispo Police
Department
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) -
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