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Committee places ALPR contracting restrictions on consent calendar after questions on privacy and law-enforcement use
Summary
HB 5,552 would require state contracts with automated license plate reader vendors to contain privacy and data-control terms; sponsors framed it as a contract-level safeguard while some members warned about broader surveillance implications.
Representative Blumenthal framed HB 5,552 as a contracting fix after reporting news that an ALPR vendor had broad sharing policies. "These automated license plate readers are essentially cameras on the road... it's fundamentally surveillance," he said, urging contractual terms so Connecticut agencies retain control over access and sharing of location data derived from license plates.
Representative Mastro Francesco and Representative Carpino asked whether law enforcement and stolen-vehicle investigations would be unaffected; Blumenthal said the bill protects public-agency access for legitimate law-enforcement uses while limiting third-party commercial distribution. Senator Sampson reiterated he does not support ALPR technology in principle but said he would vote "yes" on this bill to restrict vendor sharing practices.
The committee placed HB 5,552 on the consent calendar. Debate centered on balancing investigatory uses by police with protections against wide commercial distribution of location data.
