Automatic license plate readers (APLR) use cameras and software to capture, analyze, and store vehicle license plate information. ALPR systems compare license plate numbers against databases to generate alerts and create records of vehicle activity. Progress in the Park is concerned that the use of an ALPR system places residents at risk of unlawful surveillance and erosion of civil liberties.

The team encourages St. Louis Park City Council to adopt ordinances to constrain ALPR use and bolster resident privacy protections more broadly.

Our Goals

Ensure City Council is aware & involved if an ALPR vendor wants to alter the terms of how it retains & uses residents’ data.

Codify state data protections into city code and broadcast biennial audit for transparency. This helps our city government to shield residents from changes based on the whims of non-local legislators or governors.

Establish a city data steward. The steward acts as a single or limited set of trusted individuals, reducing scope of data availability. They also act as the internal auditor, ensuring adherence to policy and law.

FAQs

What are ALPRs?

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are camera systems that automatically scan and record license plate numbers and vehicle information as cars pass by. These systems can capture thousands of plate images per minute and feed the data into searchable databases. Law enforcement agencies argue that ALPRs help locate stolen vehicles and identify suspects in criminal investigations. However, the technology captures data on every vehicle—not just those involved in crimes—meaning millions of law-abiding citizens are routinely photographed and tracked without their knowledge or consent.

The key concern is how this data is stored and used. Once collected, license plate data can be retained for years, creating a comprehensive tracking history of where people travel. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has documented numerous cases where ALPR data has been misused—including by officers accessing records for personal reasons, and the potential for this data to be sold or breached. Studies show that innocent people can be wrongly identified and even arrested based on ALPR matches, and there are minimal oversight mechanisms in place. Without strict limits on data retention and access, ALPRs function as a mass surveillance tool that disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income neighborhoods where they are more frequently deployed.

While proponents claim ALPRs solve crimes, privacy advocates argue that the privacy costs far outweigh the benefits, especially given less invasive alternatives available to law enforcement. Communities across the country are questioning whether mass tracking technology—that monitors everyone—is the right approach to public safety. In St. Louis Park, residents deserve a transparent conversation about whether sacrificing everyone’s privacy is necessary or justified.

What is Flock Safety?

Flock Safety is a private company that has become a major provider of ALPR systems to police departments across the United States, including the network of cameras in St. Louis Park. The company markets its cameras as a crime-fighting tool, but the cameras function as general surveillance infrastructure that records every passing vehicle. Flock aggregates this data and makes it searchable across jurisdictions, creating an unprecedented tracking capability. The company’s business model depends on expanding its camera network—meaning the incentive is always to deploy more surveillance, not less. Importantly, Flock’s data practices and retention policies have limited public oversight, and the company has previously shared data with federal immigration enforcement without public knowledge. St. Louis Park residents should consider whether funding a private surveillance company serves the community’s interests or primarily benefits Flock’s shareholders.