Automated License Plate Reader Systems: Policy and Operational
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The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Automated License Plate Recognition Systems: Policy and Operational Guidance for Law Enforcement Author: David J. Roberts and Meghann Casanova Document No.: 239604 Date Received: September 2012 Award Number: 2007-MU-MU-K004 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. ––––––– This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This project, conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), was supported by Grant No. 2007-MU-MU- K004 from the National Institute of Justice. The National Institute of Justice is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the Community Capacity Development Office; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). Points of view or opinions contained in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the IACP or the United States Government. With respect to documentation contained herein, neither the IACP nor the United States Government, nor any of their employees make any warranty, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Further, neither the IACP nor the United States Government nor any of their employees assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements IACP Leadership and Project Personnel Executive Staff Chief Walt McNeil James McMahon President Deputy Executive Director Bart R. Johnson Michael Wagers, Ph.D Executive Director State & Provincial Police Director Project Staff David Roberts Meghann Casanova Senior Program Manager Project Manager This report was written by David J. Roberts and Meghann Casanova. The IACP gratefully acknowledges the contributions of numerous law enforcement practitioners who helped to guide initial discussions of the operational use and value of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems, and helped structure the research undertaken in this project. In addition, Dale Stockton, retired Captain, Carlsbad Police Department, provided consulting insight and assisted in site visits, which contributed substantially to our research. We also gratefully acknowledge the law enforcement agencies who participated in the survey and those who accommodated follow-up site visits. Suggested citation: David J. Roberts and Meghann Casanova, Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Systems: Policy and Operational Guidance for Law Enforcement, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2012. AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS: iii POLICY AND OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS: iv POLICY AND OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Police use of license plate data ................................................................................................... 4 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Technology ...................................................... 5 An Overview of ALPR ................................................................................................................... 9 Cameras....................................................................................................................................... 9 User Interface ............................................................................................................................ 10 Software .................................................................................................................................... 10 Hot lists ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Mobile ALPR Systems ............................................................................................................. 11 Fixed and Portable ALPR Systems ........................................................................................... 12 ALPR Data ................................................................................................................................ 13 ALPR Performance ................................................................................................................... 14 Survey of ALPR Use by Law Enforcement .................................................................................. 19 ALPR Policies ........................................................................................................................... 25 Hot List Management ............................................................................................................... 26 Data Retention .......................................................................................................................... 28 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 35 Endnotes ........................................................................................................................................ 37 References ..................................................................................................................................... 49 Appendix A: Sample Agency ALPR Policies .............................................................................. 57 Appendix B: IACP ALPR Survey Instrument ............................................................................ 105 AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS: v POLICY AND OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. LIST OF FIGURES List of Figures Figure 1: Examples of Different State License Plate Numbering Schemes ................................................. 3 Figure 2: Examples of Specialty License Plates for Passenger Vehicles ...................................................... 4 Figure 3: Geographic Distribution of Agencies Using ALPR in 2007 ......................................................... 6 Figure 4: Examples of Trunk and Lightbar Mounted Mobile ALPR Cameras ............................................. 9 Figure 5: An Example of ALPR User Interface .........................................................................................