Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) (H 5531)

This legislation would sanction the installation of a highway surveillance system of automated license plate readers (ALPRs). They are capable of capturing car images at high speeds and across several lanes of traffic, and could be erected throughout the state’s highways in an attempt to catch uninsured motorists. ALPRs capture not only an individual’s license plate, but record the time and GPS location of every car on the road. Unregulated, this data becomes a historical record of driver’s movements, allowing for a significant invasion of every driver’s privacy. The ACLU was joined by the State Police, the DMV, insurance companies and others in opposing the bill, but that did not stop its progress. After passing the House, the bill made it to the Senate floor, but the controversy it generated left it on the calendar without a vote.