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54.0 LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAMERA SYSTEM Page 1 of 3 EDGEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER # 54.0 LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (LPR) CAMERA SYSTEM Effective Date: March 28, 2024 This General Order consists of the following numbered sections: I. Purpose II. Policy III. Definitions IV. General Information V. Use o f Automated License Recognition System VI. Access & Security VII. Training I. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide the Edgewood Police Department personnel with guidelines and principles for the co llection, access, use, dissemination, and retention of ALPR information to ensure the information is used for legitimate law enforcement purposes ONLY and that privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of individuals are not violated. II. POLICY The availability and use of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Systems has provided many opportunities for the enhancement of productivity, effectiveness, and officer safety. It is the policy that all Department members abide by the following guide lines set forth herein using ALPR Systems . III. DEFINITIONS A. ALPR : Automated License Plate Recognition B. ALPR Alert : a visible and or audible notification to an ALPR operator that a license plate captured by ALPR is on a prepared Hot List. C. ALPR Administrator : member designated by the Chief of Police, or designees, to be the point of contact for ALPR Systems. D. ALPR Operator : designated Department member that has been trained and authorized in the operation and lawful use of ALPR Systems. E. ALPR System : a set of equipment used to automatically capture license plate images and associated data. The equipment may include the following: 54.0 LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAMERA SYSTEM Page 2 of 3 1. One or more ALPR cameras. 2. Softwa re used to transform captured images into alphanumeric characters. 3. Software used to automatically compare the alphanumeric characters acquired to one or more databases (hotlists) 4. User access to obtain information from software used to transform and compare captured license plate images F. Fixed ALPR camera : ALPR camera permanently affixed to a structure; such as a pole, sign or other fixed obje ct. G. Hit Confirmation : a se condary check awaiting notification by the original entering agency that a “hit” by the ALPR is still valid and active. H. Hit: an audible alert and/or visual signal activated upon the read of a license plate by the ALPR System that has not yet been visually verified by an ALPR Operator . I. Hot List : file that contains the license plate numbers of stolen vehicles; stolen license plates; AMBER, SILVER, or other law enforcement alerts; lists of license plate numbers known to be associated wit h specific individuals, such as wanted individuals or missing individuals (e.g., wanted for homicide, rape, robbery, child abduction); or terrorist watch lists. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles also provides suspended or revoked registrations. ALPR hot lists are compiled to serve agency -specified needs. Manual entry may be available, allowing additions for specifi c license plates involved in a lawful investigation. The hot list is essential to ALPR systems, as it is required to notify law enforcement that a vehicle on the list is near an ALPR camera. J. Mobile ALPR Camera : ALPR camera intended for use in/on a motor vehicle or other equipment with the ability to be easily relocated and typically include one to four cameras. IV. GENERAL INFORMATION A. The use of ALPR Systems and access to ALPR data requires a legitimate law enforcement purpose. No m ember may use or authorize the use of the ALPR equipment or data for any other reason. Members who engage in the misuse of the equipment, databases, or data are subject to disciplinary action. B. ALPR capturing is specifically limited to vehicles ex posed to public view. C. ALPR System identifies license plates, not vehicles or persons. D. ALPR System functions to passively capture an image of a vehicle's license plate, transform that image into alphanumeric characters, compare the plate number to one or more lists (Hot List) of vehicles of interest, and alert the member when a license plate of interest has been observed. E. ALPR’s enhance information sharing capabilities with regional law enforcement personnel and provide members with t imely access to criminal intelligence data. 54.0 LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAMERA SYSTEM Page 3 of 3 F. Only authorized ALPR Operators may access or use ALPR stored data. G. Designated Department members will have the ability to query license -plate - recognition data, create reports, and use analytic tools, s uch as mapping capabilities. H. The d epartment may share ALPR data with any government entity that presents an authorized law enforcement or public safety purpose. The Department assumes no responsibility or liability for the acts or omissions of other agencies. V. USE OF AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM A. An ALPR Operator shall do the following: 1. Verify the system has correctly captured the license plate charact ers 2. Verify the state of issue of the license plate 3. Confirm the record that triggered the alert is still active and perform a hit confirmation with the entering agency VI. ACCESS & SECURITY A. The ALPR Administrator shall auth orize all ALPR Operator access. B. All ALPR Operators shall be required to have individual access for