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Council reviews police ALPR policy; retention set at 30 days with evidence‑saving option
Summary
The council discussed wording in a proposed police ALPR (automatic license plate reader) policy, clarified that 'electronic surveillance' language refers to video, and approved a records-retention approach that keeps data for 30 days with the ability to save evidence longer when necessary.
Council members examined the proposed police ALPR policy and questioned wording that referenced "electronic surveillance." A council member asked for clarification of the phrase and whether it implied broader surveillance powers.
The police representative explained the phrase refers to video capture and said the ALPR and 'flop' camera configurations mirror language used by the Liberty Police Department. "The electronic surveillance is just the from the video," the officer said, and later noted that routine ALPR records would be retained for 30 days. "But it'll be 30 days," the officer said, and added that when footage is needed for evidence the department will tag and save it accordingly.
Council members asked about retention schedules and whether tagged footage could be saved beyond the retention window; the police representative confirmed that evidence can be saved and that body‑cam and dash‑cam systems can also store relevant footage. The policy discussion also noted server‑storage concerns if retention periods are extended, with staff saying longer retention would "bog down the server" unless targeted by evidence tags.
The exchange left the council with a working retention policy of 30 days for untagged ALPR data and procedures for preserving evidence beyond that period; the council asked staff to ensure the policy language is precise about what "electronic surveillance" refers to and how tagged evidence is preserved.
