Just read a local news article saying my town's license plate readers keep data for 3 years

Found that detail buried in a city council report online, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has checked what their own police department does with that footage.

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.grant3mo ago

My old town kept the data for only 90 days and I thought that was too long. Seeing your find about a 3 year hold is a huge shock, it completely changes how I see these cameras. That's not just about traffic anymore, it's a full record of where everyone drives. We really have to check our own local policies now.

uma_baker883mo ago

Yeah, a friend of mine got pulled over for a broken taillight and the cop mentioned his plate was scanned twice last month at a protest. That data is definitely being used for more than just traffic stops.

dianagreen1mo ago

That "scanned twice at a protest" part is wild. I had a friend who went to a city council meeting about something totally different, and a cop later told him his car was logged in their system for being parked near a "suspicious gathering" months before. So yeah, they're definitely keeping tabs on way more than just expired tags.