A new report from the ACLU raises concerns about the proliferation of license plate readers around the country. The devices, which are often mounted to police patrol cars or overpasses, use high-speed cameras and computers to capture and analyze license plate numbers. While police contend this is a valuable tool for checking plate numbers against “hot lists” of stolen cars and such, the ACLU contend that long data retention periods and widespread data sharing pose serious privacy and civil liberties threats.
The Arizona chapter of the ACLU helped gather public records from Arizona agencies for the project. The documents are collected on an interactive map.
Here are the Arizona documents they have published so far:
Chandler Police Department
Response to Public Records Request 1
Response to Public Records Request 2
Phoenix Police Department
Response to Public Records Request 1
Response to Public Records Request 2
Response to Public Records Request 3
Response to Public Records Request 4
Response to Public Records Request 5
Response to Public Records Request 6
Response to Public Records Request 7
Response to Public Records Request 8
Response to Public Records Request 9
Response to Public Records Request 10
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office
Response to Public Records Request 11
