I’m not going to be quiet about License Plate Reader technology anymore.

I’m not going to be quiet about License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology anymore. 
After initially & intentionally taking a backseat to the conversation, that’s no longer my position. 

I’ve been using this tech for close to two (2) decades. Murders. Shootings. Robberies. Carjackings. Burglaries. Retail Crimes. Hit & Run crashes. Missing persons. 

Dead bodies found weeks later… Six (6)-month delays in forensic lab tests… Burglaries linked to crimes last year…

  • Real cases. 
  • Real victims. 
  • Real defendants put in prison.

I regularly use five (5) vendors’ systems. Daily. Deeply. Intently. Maximizing their capabilities. 

  • Alerts. 
  • Hotlists. 
  • Historical data. 
  • Analytical output reports. 
  • Maps. 
  • All the stuff & more. 

Because cross-vendor analyses aren’t possible, I use manual workarounds & homemade algorithms. 

I’m trying to not sound like an arrogant jerk here; but I know these systems inside & out. Leveraging them in ways most users do not. 

Feel free to ask around about me, my assignments, & my skills… have at it. 

Now more than ever, I feel a serious need to share my experience with these tools. 

I don’t work for a vendor. I receive no compensation by any of them. I actually tend to distrust most of them; the engineers & salespeople are likely to confirm that.

But right now, the ALRP conversations are flooded with vendor commentary & marketing talking points. The spokespeople are often “former law enforcement” who might have dabbled in ALPR tech for a couple years; I’m convinced some have never actually used it. Maybe worked in an RTCC for a bit. Few of them have actually worked critical long-term investigations — if any investigations at all. It’s clear many of these voices have used only one (1) or two (2) of these systems. Even many of the current LE voices frankly lack depth & breadth of experience with this tech; though I appreciate all of them in the arena! 

Missing from the debate is real-life, diverse, varied, intense, analytical, long-term, operational & administrative experience with the tech. I argue that I bring that. 

Recently, I’ve been commenting on posts, writing articles, & drafting sample policy. I’ve been asking pointed (but simple) technical questions (most of which go ignored by the uninformed). I’ve been calling out misinformation & disingenuous assumptions/conclusions. I’ve been asking for clear, objective stances when posters offer ambiguous, buzzword gobbledegook.

You can make up your own mind about privacy issues, trust, & opine on your preferences. But you arent entitled to make up your own facts, technical specs, or system capabilities. 

I’m here for how this stuff actually works, explain how it is used by law enforcement, highlight where it has vulnerabilities, & make common sense, experience-informed, objective policy suggestions on data access tiering & varied, intelligent data retention [a policy I’m working on right now]. 

You ready?

***

I'm drafting a model policy on how ALPR data could & should be accessed & retained. It's a work in progress. I decided to tip my hand, just a bit, in this post. The policy is more nuanced than this. 

If you're wondering what sort of mistakes ALPR systems make, click here. It includes the importance of police officers verifying all sorts of pieces of data before taking enforcement action. I've been writing a lot on this technology... 

***

Lou Hayes, Jr. is a detective supervisor in a suburban Chicago police department, collaterally detailed to a regional major crimes (homicide) task force.  He has a passion for multi-jurisdictional crime patterns, criminal networks, & regional intelligence. With a background in training, he studies human performance, decision-making, creativity, emotional intelligence, & adaptability. 

Follow Lou on LinkedIn, & also the LinkedIn page for The Illinois Model. ***


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