Cops Are Watching—Challenges of the ALPR
The use of Automated License Plate Recognition/Readers (ALPR) within both law enforcement and the larger discipline of homeland security have become increasingly popular. The technology has been around since the late 1970’s but its use became more frequent in the 1990’s when software programs were developed that made the system easier to use. Once ease of use improved, the marketability of the ALPR product improved and more companies began selling it to public sector agencies that could use it, such as law enforcement. As the product began to flood the market, the cost of the system also began to decline as vendors competed for sales. Contrary to popular opinion, these systems are not all the same and depending on the vendor have their unique challenges. This depends not only on the type of product but how they are being deployed.
For example, some ALPR systems are stand-alone units that have no interoperability with databases used by other agencies. In comparison to the ones that I was shown during a recent tour of a Regional Intelligence Center, which had a link to the ALPR systems throughout a region, these stand-alone units are secluded and lack the ability to communicate with other agencies. How large a network the unit is attached to translates into how much information is being gathered and shared. This essay focuses on both the internal and external challenges faced by police departments with ALPR systems. Those challenges are broken down into four areas: communication, retention, age and external influences. Each is discussed below.
COMMUNICATION
Because there are many links and physical hardware devices that sit between the vehicle on the roadway and the server, there are numerous locations where communication can break down. The ALPR units at many police departments consistently struggle with data interruptions and failures in relaying the information it relies on for identifying wanted vehicles. If any link in the chain is disrupted, the license plate data cannot be relayed. Techs at police departments are constantly working at keeping these devices in operation, increasing the costs of ownership.
RETENTION
Along with the communication issues, there has to be an understanding with IT on how to set up retention programs. Police departments should have guidelines in their polices that spell out when ALPR info needs to be purged and when it can be retained. At my department in Washington State we follow the guidance recommended by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). Those guidelines state, in part:
All ALPR data downloaded to the server may be stored for a period up to but no longer than 60 days prior to purging. Data must be purged once the maximum retention period has been reached unless it has become or it is reasonable to believe it will become evidence in a specific criminal or civil action. In those circumstances, the applicable data shall be downloaded from the server onto a CD or other portable technology. It shall be subject to the same logging, handling and chain of custody requirements as other evidence.
While this policy is logical and adheres to nationwide standard practices, when a check with the IT department is done, many agencies discover that a purge is not being done and records are retained much longer. It is important for police agencies to continuously monitor and adhere to their purge schedule.
AGE
The third challenge faced by many ALPR systems is the age of the system itself. Older software has problems interfacing with upgrades, such as the change to a new operating system. The cameras consistently break or fog up. The mini PC that sometimes sit in the trunk is subjected to the trauma of traveling in a police car and malfunctions due to excessive jarring, condensation or general mistreatment.
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
This essay can’t discuss the ALPR system without mentioning the legal or civil liberty concerns associated with tracking, recording and storing of license plate information that it comes across. It is necessary to touch on the suggestions made by law enforcement groups, such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), as well as civil rights watchdog groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in order to compare their guidelines with the manner in which IT has set up a police department’s system. These groups go through great lengths to make sure Americans aren’t tracked without lawful authority.
As noted earlier, it is recommended that data from ALPR units get stored no longer than 60 days, unless the information is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. The IACP suggests general practices (and has developed a model policy) for how to deploy ALPR technology, but because of the disparity across the law enforcement community on how these systems are used the IACP does not recommend a specific retention schedule. For example, jurisdictions may have different retention protocols for fixed units (which record more plate reads on average) than mobile units attached to vehicles.
The ACLU has made it clear that the emergence of ALPR technology as a typical law enforcement data collection tool infringes on the rights of citizens in the United States. The ACLU does not recommend a specific retention period for all data, but rather suggests that data collected which is not flagged as suspicious or involved in criminal activity should not be stored for a great length of time — indicating that it should be no longer than a few days or weeks. Some departments still have information collected years ago.
CONCLUSION
ALPR systems can be seen in just about every jurisdiction and are being used for a variety of functions. They are useful for everything from border crossings, to parking enforcement, to general patrol operations. An agency thinking about using this technology needs to understand the challenges it will face. A citizen who is recorded by an ALPR system can make some general assumptions on how the technology works and how long their vehicle information is stored but there are no guarantees.
