Police departments are told to call license plate readers "county resources" instead of naming them
A police usage policy for automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), recently obtained by 404 Media, provides an explicit example of how police departments avoid revealing when they use the AI-powered surveillance tools. Evidence suggests that authorities across the US only admit to using the cameras when absolutely necessary. Read Entire Article
Recent reports highlight the increasing controversy surrounding security cameras, particularly automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), used by over 6,000 US communities via companies like Flock. Police departments, aware of the backlash, are employing covert tactics to conceal their use. A police usage policy obtained by 404 Media reveals that officers in Wapello County, Iowa, are strictly forbidden from mentioning ALPRs during traffic stops or reports, except when queried directly by a lawyer.
Even when required to disclose the technology, officers are advised to refer to it as "county resources." This secrecy mirrors how officers concealed the use of stingray devices, which track cell phone signals. ALPRs operate by collecting license plate data from passing vehicles into a searchable cloud database, aiding in tracking suspects' movements.
However, false positives have led to numerous unnecessary traffic stops and arrests, as seen in an Ohio incident where an innocent man was mauled by a police dog. At least 50 officers have been accused of using ALPRs for stalking. Some communities have ceased using ALPRs due to these issues, leading departments to deploy them covertly.
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