How Is ALPR Used For Surveillance in California

ALPRs are high-speed camera systems that take pictures of license plates, translate the numbers and letters into machine-readable text, tag them with the time and place, and upload the information to a database for later retrieval.

ALPR is frequently used by law enforcement authorities to compare plates to a "hot list" of plates suspected of being linked to crimes or even belonging to owners who owe court fines. ALPR, on the other hand, is a mass surveillance device because it captures data on every driver, the vast majority of whom are innocent. The technology aggregates data might and detailed driving patterns and can identify drivers who frequent specific sites.

Laws require agencies to divulge several key policy points, which include:

The allowed uses of the ALPR system and the collection of ALPR data.
Employees and independent contractors who are permitted to use or access the ALPR system, or to gather ALPR data, must have a description of their job title or other designation. The training requirements for approved workers and independent contractors must be specified in the policy.
A explanation of how the ALPR system will be monitored to guarantee information security and adherence to applicable privacy regulations.
The purpose, procedure, and limitations for selling, exchanging, or transferring ALPR information to others.
The title of the ALPR system's official custodian, or owner, who is in charge of executing this part.
A description of the reasonable procedures that will be taken to guarantee that ALPR data is accurate and that data inaccuracies are corrected.
The amount of time ALPR data will be kept, as well as the process the ALPR operator will use to determine whether or not to keep ALPR data.

The list below contains links to each of the agency's policies, but it does not indicate whether or not the policies themselves contain information that meets these requirements.

If you work for an agency that has an ALPR policy that isn't on this list, or if you independently discovered a policy that isn't on this list, please let us know or comment below on Disqus.

ALPR Policies in Local Government

Please aware that many of the links will take you to the websites of other jurisdictions. This is because, despite the fact that many agencies employ ALPR technology and share data, they are still obligated to link to a policy on their websites, even if the systems are not theirs.

Bay Area Rapid Transit
Central Marin Police Authority
California Air Resources Board
City and County of San Francisco District Attorney, Police
City of Alameda
City of Alhambra
City of American Canyon
City of Anaheim
City of Antioch
City of Arcadia
City of Arcata
City of Atherton
City of Auburn
City of Avenal
City of Azusa
City of Bakersfield
City of Beaumont
City of Bell
City of Bell Gardens
City of Berkeley
City of Belvedere
City of Beverly Hills
City of Brawley
City of Brea
City of Brentwood
City of Brisbane
City of Buena Park
City of Burbank
City of Burlingame
City of Campbell
City of Carlsbad
City of Chico
City of Chula Vista
City of Claremont
City of Clayton
City of Clovis
City of Concord
City of Corning
City of Corona
City of Coronado
City of Covina
City of Culver City
City of Cypress
City of Daly City
City of Davis
City of Dublin
City of El Cajon
City of El Centro
City of Elk Grove
City of Emeryville
City of Escondido
City of Fairfield
City of Folsom
City of Fontana
City of Fountain Valley
City of Fremont
City of Fresno
City of Fullerton
City of Galt
City of Gardena
City of Glendale
City of Glendora
City of Hanford
City of Hawthorne
City of Hayward
City of Huntingon Beach
City of Imperial
City of Inglewood
City of Irvine
City of Irwindale
City of La Habra
City of La Palma
City of La Verne
City of Laguna Beach
City of Lemoore
City of Livermore
City of Lodi
City of Long Beach
City of Los Alamitos
City of Los Altos
City of Los Gatos
City of Madera
City of Manhattan Beach
City of Manteca
City of Menlo Park
City of Milpitas
City of Modesto
City of Monrovia
City of Monte Sereno
City of Montclair
City of Montebello
City of Monterey Park
City of Moraga
City of Mountain View
City of Murrieta
City of National City
City of Newark
City of Newport Beach
City of Novato
City of Oakland
City of Oceanside
City of Oxnard
City of Pacifica
City of Palo Alto
City of Palos Verdes Estates
City of Pasadena
City of Petaluma
City of Piedmont
City of Pismo Beach
City of Pittsburgh
City of Placentia
City of Placerville
City of Pleasant Hill
City of Red Bluff
City of Redlands
City of Redwood City
City of Richmond
City of Ripon
City of Riverside
City of Sacramento
City of San Bernardino
City of San Bruno
City of San Diego
City of San Fernando
City of San Gabriel
City of San Jose
City of San Leandro
City of San Luis Obispo
City of San Marino
City of San Mateo
City of San Pablo
City of San Rafael
City of San Ramon
City of Santa Clara
City of Santa Monica
City of Sausalito
City of Seal Beach
City of Sierra Madre
City of Signal Hill
City of Simi Valley
City of South Beach
City of South Gate
City of South San Francisco
City of Suisun City
City of Sunnyvale
City of Torrance
City of Tulare
City of Tustin
City of Ukiah
City of Upland
City of Vallejo
City of Vernon
City of Visalia
City of Walnut
City of Walnut Creek
City of West Covina
City of West Sacramento
City of Westminster
City of Westmoreland
City of Whittier
City of Woodland
County of Alameda
County of Contra Costa
County of Fresno
County of Los Angeles
County of Marin
County of Orange
County of Riverside
County of Sacramento (Sheriff)
County of Sacramento (Department of Human Assistance)
County of San Bernadino
County of San Diego
County of San Luis Obispo
County of San Mateo
County of Santa Clara
County of Shasta
County of Solano
County of Ventura
County of Yolo
California State University, Long Beach
Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District
Port of San Diego
Town of Hillsborough
Town of Los Gatos
Town of Portola Valley
Town of Tiburon
University of California - Merced

Privately Operated ALPR Policies

The ALPR statute in California also applies to private businesses. While we have not undertaken a survey of private ALPR systems, we are adding them as they become available.

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How Is ALPR Used For Surveillance in California

ALPRs are high-speed camera systems that take pictures of license plates, translate the numbers and letters into machine-readable text, tag them with the time and place, and upload the information to a database for later retrieval.