Services

License Plate Reader (ALPR) External Audits

Automated license plate readers scan, log, and retain vehicle location data at a scale that raises real legal and civil-liberties questions, separate from whatever operational benefit the system provides. Most states and many departments now have specific statutes or policies governing how ALPR data can be collected, how long it can be retained, who can access it, and what it can and can't be used for. The gap between what a policy says and what a system is actually configured to do is where agencies get into real trouble — with state auditors, with the press, and with the public.

This is a narrow, specific service: independent external audits of ALPR programs, done by someone outside the department's own chain of command, which is exactly what makes the result credible to a city council, a civil liberties watchdog, or the public that's asking the hard question of whether this system is being run the way it's supposed to be.

What an audit actually looks at

I look at whether the system's actual technical configuration matches the retention periods, access controls, and use restrictions required by state law and department policy — not just whether a policy document exists, but whether the system is genuinely built to enforce it. That includes who can query the data and under what justification, whether access is logged and reviewable, whether data is actually purged on schedule rather than quietly retained past its limit, and whether the program's stated purpose matches how it's actually being used in practice.

Why an outside audit matters here

Agencies that run ALPR programs are under real public scrutiny, and an internal self-review doesn't carry the same weight as an independent one when the question is whether surveillance technology is being used responsibly. A credible external audit gives department leadership something they can actually stand behind in front of a city manager, a council, or the community — and gives the community a real answer instead of a reassurance.

If your agency runs an ALPR program and needs an independent audit of how it's actually operating against legal and policy requirements, get in touch.