REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Purchase Order with Insight Public Sector for FLOCK Automated License Plate Reader Systems
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Deliver and Enhance High Quality Efficient Services and Infrastructure
BACKGROUND
Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) use a combination of cameras and computer software to scan the license plates of every vehicle passing by. ALPRs can be mounted on stationary poles, such as road signs and traffic lights, as well as on handheld devices and mobile patrol vehicles. ALPR technology logs the time, date, and GPS coordinates of each scan and captures images of vehicles. Unlike red light cameras (which the City of Santa Clara does not have), ALPRs do not have illumination to aid in identifying the driver or occupants of the vehicle, nor are they integrated with facial recognition solutions to identify registered owners or passengers.
ALPR technology shall only be used for legitimate law enforcement or public safety purposes with a need and right to know the information provided by an ALPR to:
* Locate stolen or wanted vehicles and vehicles that are the subject of a law enforcement investigation (e.g., identifying a crime, gathering evidence, working together with prosecutors to achieve a conviction in court, etc.);
* Locate and apprehend suspects that are sought by law enforcement;
* Locate witnesses and victims of violent crime;
* Locate at-risk missing persons (including responding to Amber and Silver Alerts);
* Protect participants at special events; and,
* Protect critical infrastructure sites.
No other uses shall be allowed.
ALPRs process each license plate against a designated "hot list." These queries happen automatically in real-time, although officers can also query license plates manually via their mobile data computer in their patrol vehicle. When law enforcement receives a "hot hit," they verify the data provided by ALPR technology using other law enforcement information sources to confirm t...
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