Loading...
E.P.P. 059 LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT ENFORCEMENT POLICY & PROCEDURE NUMBER EPP - 59 SUBJECT: AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (ALPR) SYSTEM EFFECTIVE: FEBRUARY 17, 2016 REVISED: DECEMBER 1, 2023 ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP – 59 PAGE 1 OF 6 I. PURPOSE: This directive provides guidelines for officers utilizing the Longwood Police Department's Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) System to include: A. Procedures for operation and control of license plate images gathered on Automated License Plate Recognition systems. B. Procedures for the storage of license plate images gathered by this recording equipment. II. SCOPE: A. It is the policy of the Longwood Police Department to use the ALPR system to aid in the investigation of criminal and traffic violations. Captured license plate images are obtained for, but not limited to, the following purposes: 1. Conduct inquiry of NCIC/FCIC and local data bases, 2. Check for stolen vehicles, 3. Check for suspended or revoked driver's license, 4. Check for sexual predator and offender status, 5. Check for felony and misdemeanor warrants. III. DEFINTIONS: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP - 59 PAGE 2 OF 6 A. Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR): A specialized system consisting of equipment designed to read, store, and check license plates. The ALPR is mounted to a patrol vehicle or other mobile or fixed platforms and connected to a computer capable of operating the system. B. Hot List: Any downloaded or created list that contains records of license plates relative to stolen vehicles, suspended driver license, registered sex offenders, registered felons, and/or pertinent local data base intelligence pertaining to gang or drug investigations. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, and the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) as well as any information that is entered manually by the operating member may reside amongst one or all of the Hot List. C. Hot List Download: The method by which the Hot List data is transferred to a computer within the back office server or patrol vehicle. Hotlist(s) received from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) are downloaded to the agency server via an encrypted and secure FTP link. Hotlist downloaded /synced to a computer, equipped patrol vehicle or other mobile platforms is conducted through an encrypted and secure wireless air card. D. Back Office Server: The agency server that supports the date base management and record inquiry reports. The back office server allows access to conduct intelligence reports providing information on captured license plate images. IV. TRAINING: A. Only those members who have been properly trained by either the manufacturer or an approved Longwood Police Department instructor will operate the ALPR system while on patrol. The device shall at all times be utilized according to the manufacturer’s instructions and for law enforcement purposes only. V. OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES: A. The ALPR equipment reads the license plates of moving or stationary motor vehicles using optical character recognition technology and compares them against hot list(s) stored on the patrol vehicles mobile computer terminal (MCT). 1. Upon initializing the ALPR system, the operator will ensure all hot lists have been successfully automatically downloaded/synced to the vehicle’s MCT from the back office server. 2. Manual additions to the Hot List(s) can also be made to the system as they are received from the communications center. Examples of possible reasons for manual entries of a license plate number include but are not limited to: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP - 59 PAGE 3 OF 6 a. Amber Alert not yet received from a FDLE download b. Silver Alert not yet received from a FDLE download c. Full or partial felony vehicle license plates d. Any license plate necessary for criminal intelligence e. Local lookouts for license plates related to wanted persons, missing persons, etc. B. During operation, ALPR “hits” are indicated by an audible and visual alarm. An ALPR “hit” shall not be used as reason for a traffic stop or enforcement contact until the FDLE hit confirmation policy has been satisfied. Contact with the vehicle and its occupants shall only be made after the “hit” has been confirmed. Confirmation of local data base hotlist(s) should be addressed to the administrative controller of the local hot list (i.e. Domestic Security, CCIB, Criminal Investigations, etc.) 1. The operator receiving the notification must first visually verify the Hot List entry matches the digital image display by the ALPR system. If for any reason they do not match, the “hit” will be rejected. If they do match, the “hit” will be accepted and the operator will verify the hit through NCIC/FCIC. 2. When verifying the “hit”, the member will utilize the “Live Check” feature of the ALPR system which runs the accepted license plate match through NCIC/FCIC for validation. If the operator is unsure of the correct response or of the confirmation via their laptop computer, then the operator should request a dispatcher to validate the hit. 3. After verifying the “hit” via their laptop or through the communication center, officers will then take the necessary law enforcement actions to stop the vehicle. The stop shall be treated as an unknown to a high risk stop, depending on the circumstances, and appropriate assist units should be utilized when necessary. 4. Operator notes can be directly input into the “hit record” for later use in the investigation or court presentation. 5. At the end of the shift the operator should upload current captured license plate images to the back office server by clicking the “end shift” button on the display screen. The operator will confirm all captured images were uploaded successfully. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP - 59 PAGE 4 OF 6 VI. PATROL PRECEDURES: A. Officers who utilize or are assigned ALPR systems shall ensure the system is properly installed and is in working order. 1. ALPR systems may be utilized during routine traffic patrols and are effective in identifying motorist driving with suspended driver licenses and expired tags. 2. ALPR systems may be utilized to conduct license plate cataloging in areas prone to stolen vehicles, and during canvassing of crime scenes, as a means to document useful intelligence or to preserve future witness pools. 3. ALPR systems may be utilized during DUI Traffic Safety Checkpoints. 4. Employees of specialized units may use the ALPR system to aid in the identification of stolen vehicles and/or identification of suspects and associates. VII. MAINTENANCE: A commander or his/her designee will be responsible for overseeing the installation, implementation, and maintenance of the ALPR system. A. In the event the ALPR needs repair, the member shall immediately notify the chain of command to obtain technical guidance or schedule a repair. B. The ALPR will not be disassembled for repairs by anyone except a technician or by the vender. C. Cameras for the ALPR system shall not be adjusted unless the adjustments are specific to the set up and initialization of portable ALPR systems. D. Operators shall ensure the camera lenses are clean from dirt or debris, however, the operator must use an approved camera lens cleaning cloth to do so. E. Employees on extended leave who are assigned portable ALPR system should remove the ALPR equipment and secure it. F. Portable ALPR systems shall only be installed on authorized agency vehicles. VIII. BACK OFFICE AGENCY SERVER: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP - 59 PAGE 5 OF 6 A. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Director of Information Services or his/her designee will be responsible for overseeing the ALPR system “back office” agency server. This server houses all captured license plates from the ALPR system and stores the downloaded or created data base “hot list”. 1. Standardized reports or intelligence inquires can be accessed via the “back office” server by authorized personnel. These reports are used to demonstrate effectiveness and efficiency of the ALPR systems. 2. Reports generated for intelligence purposes should be considered confidential and treated accordingly. All license plate data should be validated to ensure the captured image matches the transcribed data before any record is used for intelligence, enforcement, or judicial purpose. 3. The “back office” server has the capability to share data between other agency servers. This function is a useful intelligence query and is manually searched. An on demand query of other agency servers will return a tag record and all meta-data relative to the plate image, vehicle location, and date and time stamp. This record is a read only and record displaying the necessary information. 4. The Longwood Police Department will make accessible the “back office” server to other law enforcement agencies within Seminole County in an effort to streamline services and reduce infrastructure set up fees. IX. RETENTION OF CAPTURED LICENSE PLATE IMAGES: A. Maintaining records of captured license plate images is uniquely useful for criminal intelligence purposes. License plate records provide a method of determining where and when a vehicle was in a particular place but does not personally identify the registered owner of the vehicle as being in that particular place without additional investigative processes such as witness testimony or physical evidence. Tips or leads to criminal investigations have no time frame and are often significantly relevant to solving such crimes as homicide, robbery, and sexual battery; especially in cold cases. B. The Longwood Police Department will maintain images of captured license plates and their associated meta-data such as Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, time and date stamps, and the digital overview image that captures the license plate. These records will be stored within a secured database accessible only by authorized users. Records will be maintained only as long as they are useful information that could be used to solve crimes or provide intelligence towards protecting the safety and welfare of citizens, but in no event longer than five years. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM EPP - 59 PAGE 6 OF 6 C. The Longwood Police Department recognizes the importance of sharing the ALPR data with other law enforcement agencies. Sharing data in this manner provides a force multiplier and increases the probability of deterring, detecting or solving crimes. Memorandums of Understanding will be executed with agencies that the Longwood Police Department shares ALPR data with outside the boundaries of Seminole County. Once the data is shared, the shared records become property of the requesting agency governed by the policy and protection of that agency. ALPR records may be subject to the provisions of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes (Public Records).