Police across Connecticut may place additional limits on automated license plate reader cameras.
Thursday the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) recommend several changes to the controversial camera program, from limiting data retention to just seven days, instead of 21, to stricter user authorization requirements for the ALPR cameras.
POSTC Chair Keith Mello, who is also the police chief for the Milford Police Department, said the 50 page report isn’t binding.
“Our recommendations in this report are only advisory,” Mello said. “They do not override state law.”
The recommendations come weeks after numerous municipalities across the state held contentious public meetings over the ALPR cameras and either enacted pauses on further camera installations, or moved to cancel their contracts with camera vendors.
Mello and other members of POSTC said the recommendations also include calls to place audit findings under an existing municipal civilian body, as well as retaining audit records for longer periods.
The recommendations come before additional state restrictions on ALPR data retention are set to take effect Oct. 1.
Mello has consistently defended the cameras and said POSTC sees itself as victims' advocates on the issue.
“We see ourselves as their advocates, people that aren't speaking up, and not just the people that have been victims, people that will someday be victims,” Mello said “And so, I hope if the question's asked again, why are we so attached to these? That is the only reason.”
While Mello’s reasoning is simple, the report itself recommends guidelines from banning shared user accounts, requiring a case number to look up ALPR data and written justification to access data without a case number in case of an emergency.
The report also recommend automatically logging officers out of the system after a defined period of inactivity, and carve outs for extending data retention for criminal investigations up to 21 days.
Fellow POSTC member and Farmington Police Chief Paul Melanson said POSTC has held discussions with police chiefs, domestic violence victims, the ACLU of Connecticut and other parties over the recommendations.
Melanson said there is a way to balance privacy and public safety.
“You do not have to choose one or the other,” Melanson said. “We can have both. And I think that that's what this policy does.”
But privacy advocates, like Windsor resident Eric Weiner, say the cameras are not worth the risks to public safety. Weiner said at first he was in favor of regulating the cameras, believing the state could find a balance.
But after seeing reports of AI’s rapid progression, (Flock Safety uses AI in its LPRs) and concerns over the security of cloud based data storage, he said the only solution to privacy concerns is to stop using the ALPR cameras.
“My gut says the only way you can align with the public is to turn the damn things off,” Weiner said.
