Boca Raton Police Services Department ALPR PDF

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 41.240 AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (ALPR) Revised: December 13, 2022 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to provide employees with guidelines on the proper use of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system...

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Departmental Standards Directive 41.240 AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (ALPR) Revised: December 13, 2022 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to provide employees with guidelines on the proper use of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems, also known as license plate reader systems. II. POLICY: It is the policy of the Department that the ALPR system and any information gathered as a result of system operation will be used for official law enforcement purposes only. Employees utilizing and maintaining ALPR equipment will be trained to preserve system integrity and to ensure that inaccurate or dated information is properly purged. III. DEFINITIONS: Alert: A visual and/or auditory notice that is triggered when the ALPR system receives a potential “hit” on a license tag/plate. Fixed ALPR System: ALPR equipment that is permanently affixed to a structure, such as a pole, traffic barrier, or bridge. Hit: An alert matched to a vehicle tag that has previously been registered on an agency’s “hot list” of vehicle tags related to stolen vehicles, stolen tags or other factors supporting investigation, or which has been manually registered by a user for further investigation. 32.04 “Hot Plate/Hot List”: A specific tag or list of tags/plate numbers of vehicles that are significant to law enforcement. Hot Plate/Hot List information can come from a variety of sources. Mobile ALPR System: ALPR equipment that is affixed, either permanently (hardwired) or temporarily (e.g., magnet-mounted), to a law enforcement vehicle for mobile deployment. Operational Administrator: Special Investigations Unit supervisor or his/her designee. Portable ALPR System (Trailers): ALPR equipment that is easily transportable and can be deployed in a variety of venues as needed. Read: Digital images of license plates and vehicles and associated metadata (e.g., date, time and geographic coordinates associated with the vehicle image capture) that are captured by the ALPR system. Technical Administrator: Public Safety Manager IT or his/her designee. Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 1 of 6 “Hot List” Administrator: User granted access to make changes to a hot list entry, which is designated by the Operational and/or Technical Administrator. IV. PROCEDURE: A. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION: 32.04 1. The ALPR system consists of cameras, hardware, and software that convert a digital image of a license plate into data that is processed by the system and compared against a list of license plates that have some significance to law enforcement. When the system identifies a relevant vehicle tag, an alert is sent to an employee(s) indicating whether the tag is associated with a crime, criminal intelligence, or other category identified by Department system operators. B. SYSTEM MANAGEMENT: 1. The Investigative Services Bureau (ISB) commander or his/her designee is responsible for the operation and management of the ALPR system. 2. All employees designated to maintain and operate the system or any of its components shall receive the appropriate training to ensure that the technology is properly incorporated into police operations and utilized only for Department purposes. 32.04 3. The Technical Administrator shall ensure that the integrity of the ALPR system is maintained, and that deployment of equipment and distribution of system returns remain confidential to the extent provided by law. 4. Misuse of this equipment and associated databases, or data, will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. 5. Designated employees shall periodically check equipment to ensure functionality and camera alignment. Any equipment that falls outside expected functionality shall be removed from service until deficiencies have been corrected. Any system maintenance will be performed by trained employees or approved vendors. 6. LEOs assigned to operate mobile ALPR systems will ensure that cameras and associated computer hardware/software are in working order. Any problems with system operation will be reported promptly in accordance with this directive. 7. The ISB commander or his/her designee will ensure that all data returned from the system is properly stored and maintained on a secured City server. Additionally, the ISB commander or his/her designee will review all requests for access to stored data and ensure that the information is being used for legitimate law enforcement purposes. 8. Requests for placement of fixed location ALPR cameras will be routed to the ISB commander or his/her designee via the chain of command. Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 2 of 6 9. All ALPR cameras shall only be situated or operated in areas or in a location in which a law enforcement officer is legally permitted to be. C. "HOT LIST" ENTRIES: 1. The ALPR system allows for the searching and flagging of vehicles for investigative purposes only. 2. Searching a vehicle license plate is to be done only by an LEO, LEO supervisor, Communications Section supervisor, Real Time Command Center (RTCC) technicians, Crime Analysts, or Technical Administrator. 3. Public Safety Dispatch Supervisors (PSDS) will complete a “HOT PLATE” entry for any vehicle involved in a violent felony that just occurred in our jurisdiction or based on an immediate violent felony vehicle BOLO issued by any law enforcement agency in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. This process will ensure the agency will receive an immediate notification if the vehicle enters or remains in our jurisdiction after the commission of the violent crime and help prevent additional crimes from occurring. This will ensure all “HOT PLATE” entries of violent felony vehicles will be current in the ALPR system. a. The teletype public safety dispatcher (PSD) will immediately notify the PSDS when a BOLO is received that meets the entry parameters. b. When a BOLO meets the reporting criteria, the PSDS will contact the Watch Commander requesting to enter the “HOT PLATE” into the ALPR system. c. Upon approval, the PSDS will add the “HOT PLATE” and set the distribution list for Communications to receive the alert notification. The entry will be set to become inactive after 48 hours. An email will be sent to the Operational Administrator or his/her designee outlining the entry. d. The Operational Administrator or his/her designee will evaluate the “HOT PLATE” entry within 48 hours before it expires. The Operational Administrator or his/her designee will remove the “HOT PLATE” entry prior to 48 hours if it is not needed for further follow-up. The Operational Administrator may also extend the entry if needed for an investigation. D. FIXED ALPR PROCEDURE: 32.04 1. Upon notification and prior to acting on a possible hit of the fixed ALPR system, public safety dispatchers (PSDs) or RTCC technicians shall adhere to the following steps, if workload permits: a. PSDs shall immediately compare the tag obtained by the ALPR system against the actual license tag displayed and verify it to be the correct license tag and state of issuance and conduct an NCIC/FCIC query on the tag. Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 3 of 6 b. PSDs will immediately notify LEOs and an LEO supervisor via the radio of the tentative hit and include the following information (if available): E. i. Location ii. Direction of travel iii. Vehicle description iv. Tag number v. Nature of hit (Stolen vehicle, stolen tag, etc.) VEHICLE-BASED ALPR PROCEDURE: 32.04 1. Vehicle-based ALPR equipment will be inspected prior to use to ensure that the cameras are properly affixed and operating. Any damages to the ALPR camera or supporting equipment will be reported to Information Technology staff using a Helpdesk ticket. 2. Prior to initiating a stop based on an ALPR Alert/Hit, the LEO will complete the following: a. The LEO will verify that the vehicle tag number matches the tag number run by the ALPR system, including both alphanumeric characters of the license plate and the state of issuance. b. After determining that the vehicle’s tag is the one entered into the ALPR system, the LEO will initiate a traffic stop in accordance with Department guidelines, depending on the type of violation. F. PORTABLE ALPR SYSTEM (LPR SPEED TRAILER): 1. Portable ALPR equipment (LPR Speed Trailers) will be inspected prior to use to ensure that the cameras are properly affixed and operating correctly. Any damage to the ALPR camera or supporting equipment will be reported to the Technical Administrator using a Helpdesk ticket and will be documented in an Incident Report and a Property Damage Report. 2. LPR Speed Trailers will be managed and deployed to various locations throughout the city by employees assigned to the Special Investigations Unit. If a specific location is needed for an LPR Speed Trailer, a request will be made through the Operational Administrator. 3. LPR Speed Trailers will not be moved from their location without authorization of the Operational Administrator. 4. LPR Speed Trailer locations will be forwarded to the PSDS and the locations of each trailer will be entered into MCT. Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 4 of 6 G. ALPR DATA SHARING AND DISSEMENATION: 32.04 1. Pursuant to FSS 316.0777, ALPR data shall be considered for official use only and will be shared only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. 2. Information sharing among agencies shall be dictated in accordance with any formal agreements or established Department policies and procedures. H. ALPR SOFTWARE SYSTEM ACCESS: 1. All employees assigned to the ISB, Crime Analysis Section, Communications Section, and Traffic Homicide Unit will be given access to the ALPR system. a. System rights and permission will be determined by the Operational Administrator. b. Individuals assigned to a temporary position may be granted access per supervisor’s request. c. Temporary access may be granted to an employee not assigned to the ISB with the approval of his/her supervisor and the Technical Administrator. d. Groups will be created by the Technical Administrator and checked quarterly. I. RETENTION: 32.04 1. All data and images gathered by the ALPR system are for official use by Department employees. 2. Public records requests for ALPR data will be handled in accordance with existing Department policies and procedures pursuant to Florida State statutes. 3. ALPR information gathered and retained by the Department may be used and shared with prosecutors and other law enforcement agencies as approved by the chief of police or his/her designee. 4. Collection and retention of ALPR data is subject to the following guidelines: a. All ALPR data captured during a shift is automatically transferred to the Department’s servers. Once transferred, all ALPR data is purged from the mobile workstation. b. Employees shall ensure that all data has been properly transmitted prior to the end of each shift. 5. All ALPR data downloaded to the server shall be stored for a minimum of 95 days. Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 5 of 6 6. Any record that may become evidence in a criminal or civil action or may be subject to a lawful action to produce records shall be downloaded from the server onto portable media and logged into evidence. J. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ALPR PROGRAM: 1. The Operational Administrator or his/her designee shall submit an annual report, through the chain of command to the chief of police, evaluating the use of ALPR technology. The report shall address the following topics: a. Detailing the program components, to include the location of fixed systems. b. Assessing whether the use of the ALPR system is continuing to meet the Department's goals for the program. c. Identifying any factors that may impact the performance or effectiveness of the system. d. Identifying any data quality issues. e. Planning for expansion, system replacements and emerging technology. f. Evaluating whether Department practices are in compliance with established directives and whether any policy revisions are necessary Effective: March 27, 2014 Revised: December 13, 2022 Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Directive No. 41.240 Page 6 of 6