In the near future, we intend to introduce legislation to protect information collected through automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems from unauthorized disclosure by private vendors.   
 
ALPR systems have become valuable law enforcement tools for locating stolen vehicles, apprehending dangerous fugitives, locating missing persons, and solving serious crimes.  Many law enforcement agencies, however, rely on private vendors to both operate these systems and store the resulting data.  Without clear statutory safeguards, an ALPR system vendor could sell or transfer sensitive information – or enable third parties to access it – without the knowledge or authorization of the law enforcement agency that collected and owns the data, with the vendor serving only as its custodian.      
 
Unfortunately, recent incidents demonstrate that this risk is more than theoretical.  ALPR vendors have developed extensive commercial markets for license plate information, providing commercially collected data to lenders, insurers, debt collectors, and repossession companies.  Moreover, vendor-controlled system settings have enabled third parties to search law enforcement ALPR data without the knowledge or authorization of the agency that owns it.[1]  These commercial uses have little connection to the public-safety purposes for which law enforcement agencies deploy ALPR technology.    
 
In response to these concerns, our legislation will prohibit a vendor from selling, disclosing, transferring, licensing, or otherwise providing access to ALPR data without the express authorization of the contracting law enforcement agency.  It will also require vendors to protect data from unauthorized foreign access and handle the data in accordance with security standards established by the Commonwealth.  Our legislation will impose comparable restrictions on private businesses that use ALPR systems, prohibiting them from selling or disclosing collected data to third parties. 
 
Significantly, our legislation will not restrict legitimate information sharing between law enforcement agencies or interfere with multijurisdictional investigations, task forces, or fugitive apprehension efforts.  The principle behind this legislation is simple: when a Pennsylvania law enforcement agency collects ALPR data, that agency – not a private contractor – must retain exclusive authority over who may access, share, or use that information.  This legislation will protect sensitive ALPR information while respecting constitutional rights by ensuring that access to data collected for legitimate public safety purposes remains under the control of the law enforcement agency that collected it and is not disclosed to unauthorized third parties. 
 
Please join us in protecting sensitive information while preserving the ability of law enforcement agencies to use this important information responsibly.