Hollywood Police Department License Plate Readers (LPR) SOP #228.1 PDF

SOP HOLLYWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT...

SOP HOLLYWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT #228.1 LICENSE PLATE READERS (LPR) ORIGINATION DATE: 10/12/2010 REVISED DATE: 04/30/2020 APPROVED: CHIEF OF POLICE, JEFF DEVLIN PURPOSE: To establish criteria for the deployment and use of License Plate Readers (LPR). SCOPE: This SOP applies to all Sworn Members assigned a License Plate Reader with authorized access to the License Plate Recognition System. (LPR) POLICY: It is the policy of the Hollywood Police Department to utilize the latest technology to support the law enforcement function in the identification and apprehension of criminals. License Plate Readers (LPR) utilize computer technology to scan and identify vehicle license plate numbers and letters, which appear on selected Hot Lists. INDEX: PROCEDURE:.............................................................................................................................................. 2 I. DEPLOYMENT....................................................................................................................................... 2 A. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR DEPLOYMENT:...................................................................................... 2 B. DEPLOYMENT AUTHORITY:.................................................................................................................. 2 II. OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES............................................................................................................. 2 A. REQUIREMENTS:................................................................................................................................. 2 B. ACCOUNTABILITY:............................................................................................................................... 2 C. HOT LIST ALERTS:.............................................................................................................................. 3 III. TRAINING.............................................................................................................................................. 3 A. REQUIREMENTS:................................................................................................................................. 3 IV. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE............................................................................................................... 3 A. MAINTENANCE/MALFUNCTION AND REPAIRS........................................................................................ 3 V. IMAGE STORAGE................................................................................................................................. 3 A. IMAGE CAPTURE AND RETENTION......................................................................................................... 3 VI. INVESTIGATIVE LICENSE PLATE INQUIRES.................................................................................... 4 A. AUTHORIZATION................................................................................................................................. 4 VII. REPORTING.......................................................................................................................................... 4 A. LPR ALERT........................................................................................................................................ 4 SOP 228.1 License Plate Readers Page 1 of 4 VIII. DEFINITIONS:........................................................................................................................................ 4 A. LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR):.................................................................................................. 4 B. LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) TRAILER:.................................................................................. 4 B. HOT LIST:........................................................................................................................................ 4 C. GPS:.................................................................................................................................................. 4 PROCEDURE: I. DEPLOYMENT A. Contributing Factors for Assignment / Deployment: The deployment of LPR’s and LPR trailers is based upon the following factors: 1. LPR’s can be assigned to Officers and/or Detectives. 2. Deployment factors include, but are not limited to crime trends, traffic complaints, supervisor requests, operational needs, and other Departmental needs. B. Deployment Authority: 1. The Sergeant and Detective(s) assigned to the Fusion Center are the liaisons between the Department and the LPR provider and are the designated System Administrators. II. OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES A. Requirements: 1. Officers that are assigned a vehicle mounted LPR will ensure their LPR is in good working order at the beginning of each tour of duty. Any system malfunctions will be reported to the designated System Administrators. Officers are not permitted to make LPR repairs. 2. Officers will utilize the LPR for law enforcement purposes only. 3. Officers must have the Target Alert System (TAS) installed on their laptops in order to utilize the LPR’s and receive alerts. B. Accountability: 1. Officers will complete and submit a Shift Commander’s Log in circumstances where the LPR system is responsible for the recovery of person(s), property, arrests or agency generated Hot List alerts, to include: a. Amber Alert b. Silver Alert c. Stolen Tag d. Stolen Vehicle e. Terrorist Watch List wanted person. f. Felony Vehicle/Wanted Person 2. Officers will forward their Shift Commander’s Log via Microsoft Outlook e-mail to the on-duty Shift Commander and the System Administrators for notification and documentation purposes. 3. Agency Generated Hot Lists will include: a. Documented gang member vehicles; b. Robbery/Burglary suspects and arrestee vehicles; c. Locally wanted persons; SOP 228.1 License Plate Readers Page 2 of 4  d. Suspect vehicles identified by Agency Crime Analysts for dissemination to Officers; e. Any other entry requires supervisory approval from the Investigative Services Section Lieutenant. 4. Agency generated Hot List entries will be entered on an excel spread sheet located on a secure drive. The System Administrators will complete the entries and maintain the Hot List. These entries automatically upload to the secure server. The following information is needed: a. License plate numbers/letters; b. License plate state; c. Alarm class of either; 1. “00 Alarm” 2. “09 Other” d. Notes: pertinent information up to 100 characters explaining the entry. C. Hot List Alerts: a. LPR alerts are indicated by an audible and visual alarm. All alerts must be verified by Officers prior to taking any law enforcement action. Verification starts by visually confirming the Hot List entry matching the digital image displayed by the LPR. After confirmation is obtained, Officers can take law enforcement action while remaining within Departmental guidelines. b. In cases of NCIC/FCIC alerts, Officers will verify the tag information via dispatch prior to taking law enforcement action. c. In cases of agency generated “Hot List” alerts, Officers will utilize the alert to further the operational goals of investigation, crime prevention and/or deterrence. III. TRAINING A. Requirements: 1. Officers will receive initial training from the System Administrators in accordance with LPR manufacture recommendations. Training will include: a. Initial setup, installation of Target Alert System (TAS), and maintenance; b. Proper usage guidelines; c. Policy review via PowerDMS; d. And reporting requirements. IV. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE A. Maintenance/Malfunction and Repairs Officers will ensure the equipment is in good working order at all times. Camera lenses will be cleaned as recommended by the manufacturer. 1. If a malfunction occurs with the LPR system, the System Administrators will be notified. 2. Repairs to the system will only be coordinated by the System Administrators. V. IMAGE STORAGE A. Image capture and retention Images are captured each time the camera lens passes an object resembling the size and reflective characteristics of a license plate. SOP 228.1 License Plate Readers Page 3 of 4  1. In addition to the captured image, a GPS location for each captured license plate will be stored. 2. Images will be retained on the server for a period of 365 days. VI. INVESTIGATIVE LICENSE PLATE INQUIRES A. Authorization Investigative searches of captured license plate GPS information will only be conducted for an authorized law enforcement purpose. 1. Investigative searches of captured license plate GPS information will be conducted by the Investigative Services Section Analyst or a Patrol Division Section Analyst with the approval of the Officer’s or Detectives immediate Supervisor. 2. The GPS information will provide investigators with the location, date and time the image was captured by a mobile License Plate Reader. VII. REPORTING A. LPR Alert When a Member authors an Incident Report or Arrest Affidavit that arose from an LPR alert, language will be included indicating that the LPR system alerted the Member to the vehicle/license plate. 1. The Systems Administrators will provide a statistical report to the Criminal Investigations Division Major on a quarterly basis as to arrests, recovered property or persons and other significant information as to the operation of the LPR system. VIII. DEFINITIONS: A. LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR): A specialized system consisting of computer equipment and cameras that read, store and check license plates. The LPR is mounted to a patrol vehicle and connected to the computer within the vehicle. B. LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) TRAILER: A specialized system consisting of computer equipment and cameras that read, store and check license plates. The LPR trailer is trailered to locations and will remotely connect to the LPR system. B. HOT LIST: A list of license plates entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database and the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) database and agency generated entries for a law enforcement purpose. C. GPS: Global Positioning Satellite location. 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