Automated License Plate Readers (H 5150, H 5533, H 5825, S 0046)

In February, the ACLU testified before the House Corporations committee in opposition to two bills sanctioning the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), which are scanners placed on police cruisers and used to scan every license plate on the street.  Proposed as a way to detect and ticket uninsured motorists, ALPRs have the capacity to track the GPS location of every car on the road, and to transmit insurance and registration information to third parties.  Although ALPRs are gaining interest among law enforcement nationwide, their use, the information captured, and who may access that information remains largely unregulated.  In response, ACLU-drafted legislation (H 5825), sponsored by Representative Larry Valencia this year, sought to limit what information can be captured and accessed.  None of the bills moved out of committee.  Read our testimony in opposition to ALPRs (H 5150, H 5533, S 0046) here.