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The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) has launched new online resources to provide residents with information about its use of automated license plate reader (LPR) technology, including how it supports criminal investigations, the policies governing its use and the safeguards in place to protect information.
Developed in response to community questions and concerns, the resources provide information about the technology and how HPD oversees its use.
“We have a responsibility to help our community understand how this technology is being used,” HPD Chief Kirk Giles said. “We’re using the resources available to us to provide information, answer questions and demonstrate the policies and safeguards in place to ensure it’s used responsibly.”
The webpage explains what LPR technology can and cannot do and includes HPD’s written directive, frequently asked questions, information about system audits and examples of investigations in which the technology has helped officers locate suspects, recover stolen vehicles and find missing people.
Residents can also access the Flock Safety Transparency Portalwhich provides general information about HPD’s use of Flock Safety LPR technology over the previous 30 days.
HPD currently uses two LPR platforms: Flock Safety and Vigilant powered by Motorola. The transparency portal currently reflects Flock Safety activity only. Vigilant is working to develop a similar transparency feature within its system, which HPD will evaluate once available.
Residents can access both resources under the Community Resources tab on HPD’s webpage.
Source: www.huntsvilleal.gov
