L.a. County Moves To Limit License Plate Tracking - Beritaja

Drivers successful Los Angeles County person a powerful caller privateness advocator aft the L.A. County Board of Supervisors pushed to restrict really their licence plates are scanned by rule enforcement.

The committee precocious voted to inquire the Sheriff’s Department to much stringently modulate its usage of the licence sheet information it collects done high-tech camera systems mounted connected patrol cars and supra roads. The measurement it approved cited reporting from CalMatters that about a twelve constabulary and sheriff’s departments passim Southern California shared specified information pinch national migration agencies.

The September motion requests that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which operates independently of the supervisors, behaviour yearly privateness training for deputies pinch entree to licence sheet cameras and that the information beryllium barred from usage for non-criminal migration enforcement.

It besides requests the section delete sheet sightings aft 60 days unless they are flagged connected criminal lists.

The Sheriff’s Department “welcomes” the mobility and plans to reappraisal its practices and policies, the section told CalMatters. Per the motion, deputies are to study their licence sheet scholar argumentation changes to the region by January. It told the Los Angeles Times past month that it operates 931 automated readers.

Depending connected the consequence of that study and whether Sheriff Robert Luna decides to travel the board’s direction, said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who was the lead writer of the motion, supervisors whitethorn return further action to further modulate licence sheet readers successful L.A.

The Sheriff’s Department told CalMatters it has nary “current” arrangements for sharing licence sheet information pinch national agencies. A California rule enacted in 2015 prohibits the sharing of sheet information pinch out-of-state and national entities, and requires agencies that usage sheet readers to person a usage and privateness argumentation for them.

Many of the regulations successful the L.A. County mobility reflector those successful a portion of statewide authorities vetoed by the governor earlier this month. That measure, Senate Bill 274, sought to forestall misuse of licence sheet information by limiting the lists of licence plates rule enforcement could way and by requiring constabulary to item a circumstantial lawsuit aliases task unit usage erstwhile they usage information from the cameras.

Solis said she put guardant her mobility successful portion because she wanted to publically support SB 274 earlier Newsom decided connected it.

CalMatters did not find that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department shared information pinch U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aliases the U.S. Border Patrol, but immoderate Los Angeles-area agencies did. The Los Angeles Police Department declined to remark erstwhile asked about specified sharing.

License sheet readers “remain a powerful investigative instrumentality for recovering stolen vehicles, identifying convulsive crime suspects, and uncovering missing persons,” supervisors wrote successful a September letter urging the politician to motion SB 274 into law. But “its nationalist support depends connected assurance that the delicate location information it generates will ne'er beryllium repurposed for impermissible civilian migration enforcement.”

Board Chairperson Kathryn Barger formed a lone “nay” ballot against SB 274. Barger disapproved of the projected limit connected the clip framework complete which rule enforcement agencies could clasp sheet data.

Barger told CalMatters she believes this clip limit would person endangered the nationalist and made it harder for constabulary to lick crimes, and that she supports Newsom’s veto. Newsom besides opposed a 60-day information retention limit successful the authorities bill, citing akin reasons.

But that’s the aforesaid licence sheet information retention play followed by the California Highway Patrol, and past twelvemonth the governor’s agency called a 28-day retention play a equilibrium betwixt nationalist information and privacy.

County supervisors person made migration issues a priority, fast-tracking some the licence sheet mobility and another requesting a study connected advancement utilizing caller authorities laws to protect schools from ICE raids.

The region mobility does not use to constabulary departments since they are governed by section metropolis councils. The Los Angeles City Council has acquired about $400,000 successful license sheet reader technology for the LAPD since June.

Two Los Angeles metropolis councilmembers, Eunisses Hernández and Hugo Soto-Martínez, consistently ballot against the LAPD’s usage of licence sheet readers, citing concerns complete their usage successful migration enforcement.

“At a clip erstwhile truthful galore of our neighbors unrecorded successful fear, sharing delicate information only increases risks and erodes confidence,” Hernández wrote successful a connection to CalMatters.

Law enforcement agencies utilizing automated licence sheet readers passim the authorities proceed to break the law.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta revenge a suit against the El Cajon Police Department earlier this period for violating authorities law. Reporting by KPBS earlier this period recovered that this includes national agencies for illustration ICE. The lawyer general’s agency has besides sent letters to 18 agencies statewide since 2024 for imaginable violations of authorities law.

Following CalMatters reporting successful June, consequent reporting by Palo Alto Online and the San Francisco Standard recovered that constabulary departments in Atherton, Menlo Park and San Francisco violated authorities law. In the aftermath of that reporting, past period Jennifer Wall, a metropolis assembly personnel successful the Bay Area metropolis of Woodside, called on the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office to beryllium much transparent about really deputies reason that searches included successful quarterly reports to the assembly comply pinch local policy.

When municipalities usage automated licence sheet scholar technology, “we request to make judge it’s utilized appropriately and mechanisms [are] successful spot to guarantee it’s utilized appropriately,” she told CalMatters. “There has to beryllium accountability for really they’re used.”

Phoebe Huss and Khari Johnson constitute for CalMatters.