What Is a License Plate Reader and Can Police Track You Using It?

License Plate Readers (LPRs) are surveillance tools for identifying and recording license plate information. These sophisticated devices are gaining popularity among law enforcement and other agencies. Their technology can be used to track stolen vehicles and identify suspects in car-related crimes. Generally, LPRs have become invaluable tools for investigating crime and enhancing public safety. 

However, its rise in law enforcement activities has also brought up privacy and ethical concerns, with some fearing its widespread use could lead to a surveillance state where citizens are constantly being monitored without consent.

What Is a License Plate Reader and How Does It Work?

Also known as Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), a License Plate Reader (LPR) is a device that collects and analyzes license plate information from vehicles. LPR systems use surveillance cameras to capture images of license plates and OCR (optical character recognition) software to analyze them in real-time. Each image is automatically labeled with metadata such as the date, time, and geographic position of the vehicle sighting.

LPR systems' real-time capabilities increase their efficiency by allowing for rapid license plate reading and analysis. License plate reader cameras are designed to capture multiple images quickly, producing a crisper composite. This is particularly important because obtaining clear photographs of moving cars is necessary for surveillance work where these devices are employed.

The data collected by these cameras is analyzed and stored securely, with access normally limited to authorized law enforcement agencies. They may also be integrated with commercial CCTV systems, which help ensure these systems are properly positioned and maintained for maximum efficiency and reliability. Such integrations not only benefit real-time crime prevention and community monitoring, but they also help to collect long-term data for urban planning and traffic management. 

Lighting conditions and vehicle speeds can significantly impact the quality of collected photos; therefore, camera arrangement and technology are crucial for efficient operation. These camera systems can be installed in fixed locations or on moving vehicles, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. When a vehicle passes through an LPR system, it records its image, license plate characters, location, date, and time.

Different Types of License Plate Readers

LPRs may be classified based on what they are mounted on. Generally, there are two types of license plate readers: fixed and mobile. 

Fixed LPR cameras are installed in specific locations, such as poles, buildings, traffic lights, or toll booths. They track traffic speeds and photograph vehicles as they pass. These fixed installations are ideal for high-traffic locations since they provide continuous monitoring and data collection. Fixed license plate reader cameras are also used for traffic management, monitoring, and controlling traffic flow at congested intersections. Their placement enables them to monitor and record vehicle arrivals and departures, resulting in a network of data that can be critical for monitoring suspects, stolen automobiles, or missing people related to reported occurrences. 

Mobile LPR cameras are placed on cars, allowing law enforcement officers to collect license plate data while on the move. These mobile devices can be installed in patrol cars or surveillance vans to provide greater flexibility and coverage. 

Law enforcement agencies and departments typically use both kinds of LPRs in their investigative work. Fixed LPRs are installed in fixed places, and mobile LPRS in moving vehicles, making them adaptable for numerous purposes, such as crime investigation and vehicle recovery.

How Are License Plate Readers Used in Criminal Investigations?

License Plate Readers have several applications in law enforcement and criminal investigations. LPR devices can instantly identify vehicles involved in crimes or associated with missing people and verify alibis, speeding up investigations. The real-time alerting capabilities of LPR systems help law enforcement to address ongoing crimes and time-sensitive occurrences, reducing response times and operational efficiency. 

Automatic License Plate Reader systems are also used to monitor traffic and suspects, manage parking, and collect tolls. LPR technology improves public safety by comparing collected license plate information to databases of stolen vehicles or those associated with criminal activity. LPRs are used by law enforcement to track vehicle movements over time, resulting in detailed historical records that can aid in criminal investigations. Furthermore, these systems can generate thorough history data, such as previous location data, that can aid in criminal investigations. 

Law enforcement agencies may also integrate live video monitoring with license plate recognition technologies to create a formidable security solution with improved real-time response capabilities. While License Plate Reader technology automatically gathers and recognizes license plates, live video monitoring provides an additional degree of security by allowing skilled security experts to view camera feeds in real-time. This combination speeds up the identification of flagged vehicles and allows for the rapid response to any possible hazards. 

Is License Plate Reader Data Public?

LPR systems typically record photos of vehicles, license plate numbers, and metadata such as time, date, and location of capture to assist law enforcement personnel in a variety of applications, including traffic control. Public access to this information is largely dependent on the state and local laws in place, but is generally restricted to law enforcement. 

Check the FOIA laws in the state where you reside to see if it allows you to request such information. Generally, LPR data are kept by law enforcement agencies like state and local police departments. As such, the laws that govern access to their records also apply to LPR data in their possession. The period during which these data are retained depends on the agency, the state, and local laws. The retention period typically ranges from 30 days to 5 years, with some cities like Sugar Land, Texas, and Lexington, Kentucky, saving data for 30 days, and the LA Sheriff’s Department keeping their records for up to 5 years.

Many people are uneasy with the idea that law enforcement may use LPRs to monitor people, let alone provide the public access to such data. There is a risk that these systems will violate personal freedoms by creating records of an individual's whereabouts over time that anybody can access and misuse. 

Can You Find Out if Your Car Was Scanned by a License Plate Reader?

Generally, public access to LPR scan data is restricted. This is particularly due to privacy and data security concerns, as well as legal limitations. These data records are typically only available to law enforcement for tracking vehicles and suspects, monitoring traffic, and investigative purposes. Transportation agencies may also request and use License Plate Reader data for automated toll collection, traffic management, low-emission zone enforcement, and general parking enforcement.

However, you may send a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request to the agency responsible for collecting and maintaining such data. Ensure to include details such as the time, location, and plate number to aid your search. If denied, you may petition the court, provided you have good reasons for seeking the data.

Beyond the legal restrictions, finding out whether you can be scanned by an Automatic License Plate Reader can be difficult for the following reasons:

• Lack of Centralised Database: Most LPR systems are run and maintained by city or state law enforcement.
• Lack of Permission or Notification: LPR systems can capture your license plate without your permission or needing to notify you. 
• Widespread Use: In a place where there are multiple LPR devices, it can be impossible to know when these devices have captured your plates.
• Varied Retention Policies: The lack of standardized retention policies means that the data containing your plates may be deleted before you can request them.

Can a License Plate Reader Mistake Get You Pulled Over?

LPR systems are not completely flawless. They can misread plates or provide false positives, which could get you unjustly pulled over or even given a ticket. There have been instances where it mistakenly identified a car as stolen due to a misread license plate, leading to police handcuffing innocent people and holding them at gunpoint. However, if this happens, it is important to remain calm until the mix-up is cleared up. License Plate Reader errors are typically due to various factors such as: 

• Weather Conditions: Rain, snow, fog, excessive heat, and other extreme weather conditions can all have an impact on picture quality and license plate legibility.
• Lighting Conditions: Poor lighting, shadows, or high glare might distort the license plate image, making it easier for the recognition system to read the characters incorrectly.
• Character Recognition Algorithm: The sophistication and accuracy of the software algorithms used to read the license plate image vary, affecting recognition rates and creating false positives.
• Speed of the Vehicle: Faster-moving cars can cause fuzzy photos, making it difficult for the system to effectively read the license plate. This is particularly possible when the camera has a low frame rate and cannot capture fast-moving objects in detail.
• Obstructions: Other items in the license plate reader camera's range of view, such as trees, signs, or other vehicles, may hide the license plate.
• Camera Quality and Position: The camera's resolution, angle, and location can all have a major impact on its ability to capture a clear image of the license plate - accuracy with LPRs decreases beyond a 30-degree horizontal or vertical angle.
• Plate Quality and Condition: A dirty, damaged, or fading license plate can make it difficult for the system to recognize the characters on such a plate. 

It is not entirely possible to avoid being flagged erroneously by a License Plate Reader system. However, you could avoid speeding and always ensure that your plates are in good condition, such that the characters on them are visible.

Privacy Concerns and Legal Regulations Around LPRs

The use of the LPR system by law enforcement has raised various privacy concerns from the public. Critics believe that the use of these systems is an infringement on citizens’ freedoms. These systems’ ability to create long-term records of an individual's activities and whereabouts, such as where they live, work, or visit, and monitor movements without permission poses a threat to people’s privacy.

LPRs may enable state surveillance overreach, such as unlawfully watching citizens beyond the authorized purpose, tracking political activists and opponents of the ruling class, or unduly monitoring specific neighborhoods. All of this may result in arrests for minor infractions, personal vendettas, and over-policing.

There are also issues regarding data security and access. If an agency in charge of keeping LPRs suffers a data breach, it could lead to privacy violations and the exposure of sensitive personal information to unauthorized parties. For example, there has been a case where a lieutenant from a police department in Kansas unlawfully tracked his estranged wife using the Wichita PD's police license plate reader. 

The regulatory framework for deploying LPR technology is sometimes unclear or nonexistent. Because of this lack of control, there is no clear criterion for how the data should be used or how long it should be retained, which varies greatly by jurisdiction. 

For example, California limits the keeping of LPR data between 60 days and five years unless it is to be used as evidence in a felony case. In Georgia, license plate data must be erased within 30 months unless it is related to a toll violation or an ongoing law enforcement investigation. Other states, such as New Hampshire, have particular data retention regulations governing how long LPR data can be kept and under what conditions, ensuring that law enforcement professionals use the data responsibly. 

To address these issues, lawmakers, police departments, and law enforcement officers must look into standardizing data retention policies. Resources should also be given to inform the public about License Plate Reader data collection and use. These can help to address privacy concerns by ensuring that license plate data is only kept for as long as necessary to avoid needless surveillance. 

Law enforcement agencies should also develop clear policies and educate their officers about the legal and ethical implications of LPR technology. These policies should include text outlining data usage regulations. Training law enforcement officers and professionals on the legal and ethical elements of LPR technology can help reduce misuse and improve compliance with privacy laws.