By Cris Alarcon, InEDC Writer. (July 31, 2025)<\/p>\n
PLACERVILLE, Calif. \u2014 The El\u202fDorado County Sheriff\u2019s Office has deployed automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems in patrol vehicles and fixed locations across the county. The technology is supplied by Motorola Solutions (previously Vigilant Solutions) and first approved by the county Board of Supervisors in July\u202f2021, with a purchase and maintenance agreement capped at $675,000<\/span>.<\/p>\n The ALPR systems aim to enhance crime prevention by automatically scanning passing license plates, flagging stolen vehicles or those linked to active investigations. According to project documents, nearly 70\u202fpercent of local crimes involve a vehicle, and the technology is expected to provide investigative leads that might otherwise be missed<\/span>.<\/p>\n However, civil rights advocates have warned that ALPRs can create sensitive profiles of drivers\u2014capturing timestamps, locations, and travel patterns. In California, sharing such data with agencies outside the state is prohibited under Senate Bill 34 (SB\u202f34), and agencies must maintain public privacy policies under Attorney General Rob Bonta\u2019s guidelines issued in October\u202f2023<\/span>.<\/p>\n \u201cALPRs invade people\u2019s privacy and violate the rights of entire communities,\u201d wrote the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noting concerns about routine scanning regardless of wrongdoing<\/span>. The AG\u2019s office reminded agencies they must identify the purpose of each data access and prevent sharing with federal agencies or out\u2011of\u2011state partners except when permitted by law<\/span>.<\/p>\n Sheriff\u2019s Office leadership says the technology is strictly governed. \u201cAll uses of ALPR data are constrained by state law\u202f\u2013 only plates of interest, such as stolen vehicles or missing persons, trigger alerts \u2014 and data sharing is limited to compliant agencies,\u201d a public information officer said.<\/span><\/p>\n Records requests filed via the California Public Records Act (by EFF and MuckRock) indicate El\u202fDorado County has not yet released logs of sharing arrangements or detection data<\/span>. It remains unclear whether any formal agreements exist with outside agencies to receive or provide ALPR data.<\/p>\n Civil\u2011liberties groups suggest that the Sheriff\u2019s Office publish a clear usage and retention policy in a public-facing portal, as recommended by the AG, and periodically audit compliance with SB\u202f34 and SB\u202f54. Failure to comply, they warn, could result in data misuse or constitutional violations.<\/p>\n As ALPR deployment continues, county residents may request access to policy documents and data\u2011sharing reports. The Sheriff\u2019s Office has yet to announce a public transparency portal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" El\u202fDorado County Sheriff\u2019s Office is rolling out automated license\u2011plate readers in patrol cars countywide \u2014 privacy groups raise concerns under California law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"7","parallax":"1","layout":"no-sidebar-narrow","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"El\u202fDorado County Sheriff\u2019s Office Expands Use of Automated License Plate Reader Technology"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"yoast_head":"\n