Lancaster County approves $19,259 license-plate-reader purchase; sheriff cites statutory guardrails

The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners approved a purchase order May 19 to renew and expand mobile license-plate-reader (LPR) system licenses and software for $19,259.14, a purchase the sheriff said is funded from forfeited assets rather than the county general fund.

Sheriff Terry Wagner told the board the buy is a continuation of a county LPR program and described statutory guardrails that govern how plate-reader data may be used and retained. He said the system does not provide owner-registration information — it records that a given plate passed a reader at a particular time — and that the county adheres to state statute governing entries and interoperability with other agencies. A commissioner asked about retention; Wagner and other speakers cited a roughly 60-day retention limit and noted criminal penalties for misuse.

Commissioners asked whether the purchase adds another reader (the sheriff said it is an additional unit and that licenses are renewed yearly) and how many readers are currently deployed; Wagner said the office’s goal is to create a ‘ring’ on major corridors to identify vehicles involved in criminal activity, and that the program interoperates with other states and agencies for stolen/wanted vehicle alerts. The sheriff emphasized that the purchase draws from forfeited-asset funds.

After questions and discussion about privacy safeguards, a commissioner moved to approve the purchase and the board carried the motion by roll call.