Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Oregon committee weighs tighter limits on license‑plate readers amid privacy concerns
Summary
At a Senate Judiciary hearing, civil‑rights groups and privacy advocates urged strict limits on automated license plate readers (ALPRs), including end‑to‑end encryption and bans on federal access; law‑enforcement witnesses defended ALPRs as essential investigative tools and cautioned against retention periods shorter than 30 days.
Chair Pruzanski reopened the public hearing on Senate Bill 15 16, an omnibus public‑safety measure whose dash‑2 amendment would impose statewide rules on automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
Privacy and immigrant‑rights organizations urged the committee to tighten the bill. Heather Merrick of the Oregon Law Center said recent public records show out‑of‑state and federal queries can reach Oregon plate‑capture networks and called for explicit prohibitions on immigration‑enforcement uses, end‑to‑end encryption, and retention limits shorter than 30 days. “Prohibit use for immigration explicitly,” Merrick said, and recommended…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
