Bill > SB1138

This bill establishes regulations for the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement agencies in Arizona, defining an ALPR as technology that automatically detects license plates and captures associated data for official law enforcement purposes, which include identifying stolen vehicles, human trafficking victims, missing persons, and gathering information for active warrants and homeland security. The bill permits ALPRs to be used for legitimate law enforcement investigations and for canvassing areas around crime scenes, especially major incidents, and for checking partial license plate numbers to identify persons of interest, without requiring reasonable suspicion or probable cause beforehand. It mandates that law enforcement officers verify ALPR alerts through official databases before taking enforcement action, requires employees to complete specific training before operating ALPRs, and restricts access to data from central law enforcement databases unless authorized. Furthermore, the bill states that ALPR data and images are for official use only and are not subject to public review unless compelled by a warrant, subpoena, or other legal process, with data downloaded to a law enforcement agency's server to be stored for ninety days and then deleted unless it becomes evidence in a legal case or is subject to a lawful records request. The bill also specifies that data must be collected on servers not maintained by third parties, and any third party releasing unauthorized ALPR data faces a class 1 misdemeanor and a fine, while law enforcement agencies must refer non-law enforcement access requests to their records supervisor, ensure data is accessed through password-protected systems that document all access, and only release data to other verified law enforcement officials for legitimate purposes with an active case number, while also conducting regular system and user access audits.

Budget and Finance

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83915