About ALPRs
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) like the Flock brand camera system in use in Eugene do much more than scan license plates. The cameras use AI technology comparable to facial recognition software to identify objects in their field of view, including bicycles, vehicles, animals, and people. They record footage of every passing vehicle and analyze license plate number, make, model, color, and other identifiers like bumper stickers and even dents to capture a “Vehicle Fingerprint” (trademarked by Flock) for a mass database. The devices can ID cars from 75 feet away at speeds of up to 100 mph, day or night.
ALPR technology is a powerful surveillance system that can be used to invade the privacy of individuals and violate the rights of entire communities. ALPR systems collect and store location information about drivers whose cars pass through ALPR cameras’ fields of view, which, along with the date and time of capture, can be built into a database that reveals sensitive details about where individuals work, live, associate, worship, seek medical care, and travel. Much of this information has traditionally been unavailable to law enforcement without a search warrant.