Automatic Plate Reader Policy

Policy & Procedures                 No. 1.47
                                  Subject:
                Automatic License Plate Recognition
                (ALPR) Systems Policy
                                  Issuing Authority:                                       Effective Date:   Review Date:
                     Chief of Police                       12/10/2020   09/14/2023
                                                                                 References:

 Review
 Revision
 Reissued
 Dates:

CALEA STANDARDS: 41.3.9

I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Policy is to establish guidelines and procedures for the proper use and
application of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) systems, the management of the data,
and the maintenance of the equipment.

II. POLICY

The availability and use of ALPR systems have provided many opportunities for the
enhancement of law enforcement productivity, effectiveness, and protection of public and officer
safety. It is the policy of the Canton Police Department to only utilize the technology in
furtherance of official and legitimate law enforcement operations and public safety. All members
of the Canton Police Department are expected to abide by the guidelines set forth herein when
using ALPR systems.

III. ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS

Alert: A visual and/or auditory notice that is triggered when the ALPR system receives a
potential hit on a license plate.

Alert data: Information captured by an ALPR relating to a license plate that matches the license
plate on a hot list.

ALPR: Automatic License Plate Recognition. Automatic license plate recognition technology
uses high-speed cameras combined with sophisticated computer algorithms capable of
converting the images of license plates to electronically readable data. The ALPR system
captures an image of a license plate and converts it to a text file using Optical Character

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Recognition (OCR) technology. The technology also compares the digital images of license
plates to the CJIS-NCIC Hot file database.

ALPR data: Scan files, alert data, and any other documents or data generated by, or obtained
thorough, utilization of the ALPR system.

ALPR Data Query Logs: A record of a search or query of ALPR data.

ALPR system: The ALPR camera and all associated equipment and databases.

Fixed ALPR system: ALPR cameras that are permanently affixed to a structure, such as a pole, a
traffic barrier, or a bridge.

GPS: Global positioning system.

Hit: An alert that a license plate matches a record maintained in the ALPR database related to
stolen vehicles, wanted vehicles, or other alert type files that support investigation or which have
been manually registered by a user for further investigation.

Hot list: License plate numbers of vehicles of interest, such as stolen vehicles, unregistered
vehicles, vehicles owned by persons of interest, and vehicles associated with AMBER Alerts,
Missing Child Alerts, Missing College Student Bulletins, Be On the Look Out (BOLO), Attempt
To Locate (ATL), and Wanted or Missing Person broadcasts or bulletins in which a license plate
number is included, or other license plate numbers of interest entered by the Department or an
authorized officer.

Hot list download: The method by which the hot list data is transferred to a computer within a
law enforcement vehicle.

Mobile ALPR system: ALPR cameras that are affixed, either permanently (hardwired) or
temporarily (e.g., magnet-mounted), to a law enforcement vehicle for mobile deployment.

OCR: Optical Character Recognition. The technology that supports the automated reading and
digitizing of images of license plates that are captured by the ALPR system.

Portable ALPR system: ALPR cameras that are transportable and can be moved and deployed in
a variety of venues as needed, such as a traffic barrel or speed radar sign.

IV. PROCEDURES

A. General
ALPR systems and associated equipment and databases are the property of the Canton Police
Department and authorized for official use only. Misuse of this equipment and associated
databases or data may be subject to sanctions and/or disciplinary actions, as determined by the
rules and regulations of this Department.

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B. Administration
1. The Department shall designate an employee(s) in a command position with administrative
oversight as the ALPR Administrator for the ALPR system deployment, operations, and
maintenance. The ALPR Administrator or a designee shall be responsible for the following:
        (a) Establishing protocols for access, collection, storage, and retention of ALPR data and
       associated media files;

        (b) Establishing protocols to preserve and document ALPR reads and “alerts” or “hits”
        that are acted on in the field or associated with investigations or prosecutions;

        (c) Establishing protocols to establish and ensure the security and integrity of data
       captured, stored, and/or retained by the ALPR system; 41.3.9 (3E)

        (d) Ensuring the proper selection of the personnel approved to operate the ALPR system
      and maintaining an adequate number of trained and authorized users;

        (e) Maintaining records identifying approved ALPR deployments and documenting their
        results, including appropriate documentation of significant incidents and arrests that are
        related to ALPR usage;

         (f) Authorizing any requests for ALPR systems use or data access according to the
        policies and guidelines of this agency;

        (g) Managing and securing the data, including requests for searches of the ALPR data,
       hot lists, and backing up the ALPR data; and

        (h) Ensuring that designated, trained personnel check equipment on a regular basis to
       ensure functionality and camera alignment and removing from service any equipment
        that falls outside expected functionality until deficiencies have been corrected.

2. ALPR systems repairs (hardware or software) shall be made by Department-authorized
sources.

C. Automatic License Plate Recognition System Usage

1. ALPR systems and information shall be accessed and used only for official and legitimate law
enforcement operations and public safety related purposes, and may only be used based on
specific and articulable facts of a concern for safety, wrongdoing, criminal investigations,
Department-related civil investigations, or pursuant to a court order. 41.3.9 (3A)

2. Searches of historical ALPR data shall be done in accordance with established departmental
policies and procedures.

3. Only users who have been designated by the ALPR Administrator and properly trained in the
use and operational protocols of the ALPR system shall be permitted to use the system. Only
those users with an approved login and password will be allowed access to the ALPR system.
41.3.9 (3C)

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4. The agency’s ALPR Administrator shall ensure that any changes in hardware, software,
policy, or law are the subject of continuing in-service training or bulletins.

5. The use of ALPR technology must be approved by the Chief of Police or his/her designee.

6. When an enforcement action, investigation, or prosecution results from an ALPR hit, the hit
will be preserved.

7. ALPR hot lists and data gathered by departmental ALPRs will be maintained securely.

8. Requests for searches of ALPR data to the ALPR Administrator may be made in writing by
members of this Department or by other law enforcement agencies subject to the provisions of
this Policy.

D. Operational Procedures 41.3.9 (3B)

1. At the start of each shift, users shall ensure that the ALPR system has been updated with the
most current hot lists available.

2. At the beginning of each tour of duty, users should verify the aim of the ALPR camera(s) to
ensure it is focused on the correct lanes of traffic.

3. ALPR equipment should be cleaned and maintained according to the manufacturer's
recommendations.

4. Any damage to ALPR systems will be reported immediately, both verbally and in writing, to
the Department’s ALPR Administrator.

5. When not in use, ALPR-equipped vehicles should be secured. Users on extended leave should
remove the ALPR equipment and secure it within the trunk or in the ALPR Administrator’s
secure office.

6. The user shall notify the ALPR Administrator verbally and in writing of any malfunction of
the ALPR.

E. Manual Entry of Data 41.3.9 (3D)

1. Users may become aware of additional potential license plate numbers of interest and may
request those license plate numbers be entered into the Department hot list. License plates may
be entered only when directed or authorized by the shift Supervisor and only for official and
legitimate law enforcement or public safety operations.

2. A second party check must be conducted on all manual entries.

3. Manual entries may include, but should not be limited to, an AMBER Alert, Missing Child
Alert, Missing College Student Bulletin, Be On the Look Out (BOLO), Attempt To Locate
(ATL), or Wanted or Missing Person broadcast or bulletin in which a license plate number is
included. Such manual entries must be manually updated when the information changes or is no
longer current.

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4. Whenever a plate is manually entered into the ALPR system, the officer shall document the
reason.

F. ALPR Alerts/Hits

Prior to initiation of a stop based on a hit or alert:

(a) Users shall visually verify that the vehicle plate number matches the plate number run by the
ALPR system, including both alphanumeric characters of the license plate and the state of
issuance.

(b) Users shall verify the current status of the plate through the Commonwealth’s Criminal
Justice Information System (CJIS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Department’s
Records Management System (RMS), or other appropriate source of data prior to a stop when
circumstances allow or as soon as practicable.

V. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

A. ALPR Data Query Log

1. An automated log will be maintained for each transaction that will include the name of the
individual accessing the data, along with the date and time of access.

2. Requests to review stored ALPR data and search results will be recorded and maintained in
appropriate case files as determined by the rules and regulations of the Department. 41.3.9 (3F)

3. ALPR Data Query Logs shall be maintained and secured.

4. Audits shall be conducted at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

B. ALPR Data Sharing and Dissemination

1. ALPR data can be accessed, retrieved, or shared for official and legitimate law enforcement
operations or public safety purposes only. 41.3.9 (3F)

2. Dissemination of ALPR data outside the Department shall be documented in a secondary
dissemination log, as determined by the rules and regulations of the Department.

3. Information sharing among law enforcement agencies, other than the DCJIS, should be
governed by departmental policies or memoranda of understanding.

C. Retention 41.3.9 (3G)

1. Data from ALPRs will be transferred/uploaded to the Department’s server at a time to be
determined by the ALPR Administrator. Data captured by the ALPR will be purged once the
upload to the Department sever is complete. 41.3.9 (3E)

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2. All ALPR data may be stored in the Department’s server for a period of one year, except that
data may be stored for longer than one year in the following circumstances:

        (a) Alert data associated with an enforcement action, investigation, or prosecution shall
          be maintained until a final disposition has been reached in the particular case.

        (b) Alert data associated with an arrest will be maintained in the criminal case file and
           retained for the maximum period of time associated with such record.

        (c) Alert data associated with criminal investigations will be maintained in the criminal
           case file and retained for the maximum period associated with such record.

        (d) If it is reasonable to believe that the ALPR data will be used as evidence in a criminal
           or civil action, the record will be maintained until it is no longer reasonable to believe
                it will be used as evidence in a criminal or civil action.

        (e) Whenever otherwise directed by the ALPR Administrator.

VI. STATE CENTRAL REPOSITORY 41.3.9 (3F)

1. To enhance local and statewide law enforcement efforts, the Department has agreed to
electronically submit captured ALPR data to the state repository maintained by the Department
of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) at the Commonwealth’s Public Safety Data
Center. Captured ALPR data will be made available to local, state, and national law enforcement
as needed to support official law enforcement operations. Guidelines for submission and retrieval
of license plate data for all participating departments are included in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts Global Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Policy of the DCJIS and the
ALPR Central Repository Companion Policy attached to this Special Order. This Department
and its users agree to the terms of these policies.

VII. POLICY REVIEW

1. The ALPR Administrator is responsible for the annual review of this Policy and the policies
and procedures contained herein and for making recommendations to the Chief of Police for any
necessary amendments. This is a new technology and it may raise both legal and technological
issues. As use of the technology progresses, the Department will continue to monitor and assess
the appropriateness of this Policy

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