- The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will remove 27 automated license plate readers from state highway rights-of-way by FDOT's directive received Aug. 31.
- Sheriff Chad Scott emphasizes balancing ALPR technology benefits with protecting individual privacy and constitutional rights.
- ACSO is exploring options to use ALPR technology outside state highways and seeks continued dialogue on privacy and accountability safeguards.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) will remove 27 automated license plate readers from the rights-of-way of state roads and highways following a directive from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
According to an ACSO release, the Sheriff’s Office received a written memorandum Monday, Aug. 31, from FDOT Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Secretary Will Watts regarding the revocation of general use permits for automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, located within the right-of-way of roads on the State Highway System.
Following receipt of the directive, Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott instructed the commander of the agency’s Innovative Policing Division to notify ALPR providers Flock and Axon that all devices located within state roadway rights-of-way must be removed within 30 days.
“Our agency identified 27 ALPR devices that meet the criteria for removal,” Scott said in the release. “The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will comply with FDOT’s directive regarding the placement of ALPRs within state highway rights-of-way.”
Scott said the agency will continue evaluating options for maintaining investigative capabilities while addressing community concerns about privacy and complying with applicable laws, regulations and directives.
Over the past several months, Scott said he has followed the national debate surrounding ALPR technology and listened to concerns from members of the Alachua County community about privacy, data collection, information retention, access to data and how information collected by the technology could ultimately be used.
“Those concerns deserve to be heard,” Scott said.
Scott emphasized that while ALPR technology can provide significant public safety benefits, the vast majority of vehicles captured by the technology belong to people who are not suspected of committing crimes.
“People in the United States live under a Constitution that protects individual liberty and privacy,” Scott said in the release. “As law-abiding citizens, we should never lose sight of the fact that people simply want to go about their daily lives without feeling as though their movements are being unnecessarily monitored or that information about them is being retained or accessed for purposes unrelated to legitimate public safety.”
Scott said ALPR technology has also provided investigators with valuable leads in serious criminal cases.
“Has the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office used ALPR technology to assist in solving homicides, violent attacks, armed robberies, burglaries, missing-person cases, and other serious crimes? Absolutely,” Scott said.
According to Scott, the technology has helped investigators develop leads, identify vehicles associated with criminal activity, locate wanted individuals and, in some cases, help bring justice to victims and their families.
However, Scott said the technology’s effectiveness must be balanced against privacy and constitutional protections.
“The vast majority of vehicles captured by ALPR technology belong to ordinary people who are simply going to work, taking their children to school, visiting family, going to the grocery store, or otherwise living their lives,” Scott said. “Those people are not suspects, and they should not be treated as such.”
Scott said the discussion should focus not only on whether law enforcement agencies should have access to ALPR technology, but also on how the technology is used.
Questions about what information is collected, how long it is retained, who can access it, what constitutes a legitimate search and how searches are documented are critical to ensuring accountability, he said.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has established policies governing the use of ALPR technology, including defined search requirements and auditing procedures designed to promote accountability.
“Technology should never replace good police work, constitutional protections, or sound judgment,” Scott said.
Scott said the agency’s goal is to find a responsible balance between legitimate public safety needs and individual privacy.
“How do we preserve the ability to use technology that can help save lives, locate missing children and vulnerable adults, identify dangerous criminals, and bring justice to victims, while simultaneously protecting the privacy and constitutional freedoms of the very people we have sworn to serve?” Scott said. “There has to be a responsible middle ground.”
ACSO will comply with FDOT’s directive while exploring what options remain available for ALPR use outside the affected state highway rights-of-way.
Scott said the agency also wants to continue the conversation with law enforcement officials, elected leaders, technology providers and community members.
“How do we protect privacy? How do we ensure accountability? How do we prevent misuse? And how do we preserve the tools that can help us bring a missing loved one home or deliver justice to a family after a violent crime?” Scott said. “There is no perfect solution, but I believe that if we are willing to listen to one another, ask the right questions, establish meaningful safeguards, and work together, we can find common ground.”
Scott said ACSO’s responsibility extends beyond protecting the community from crime.
“Our responsibility is not simply to keep our community safe,” Scott said. “It is to do so while protecting the freedoms and constitutional rights that make our community and our country worth protecting in the first place.”