PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to put guardrails on surveillance tools like automated license plate readers, ensuring law enforcement has access to them when needed while also protecting Fourth Amendment rights.
State Reps. Brenda Pugh and David Rowe have both said that automated license plate readers, or LPRs, are extremely beneficial to law enforcement and public safety, and while they want to protect that access, they have concerns over how the data is used.
Pugh said her legislation tightens access, as without regulation, some LPR vendors have already developed markets to sell the data to private lenders, insurers, or debt collectors, or to allow searches of their databases.
“I absolutely am 100% against a vendor collecting data off of our residents and then selling it to another agency. That is wrong in every aspect of the term,” she said.
Rowe’s legislation would limit how long the data can be stored, would require law enforcement to get a warrant before tracking someone, and require signs notifying that LPRs are in use, similar to speed cameras on highways.
“It's about balance, right? Our job as elected officials is to always find that balance that allows us to capitalize on the benefits that these emerging technologies provide while also making sure our constitutional rights are being protected,” he said.
Both bills are still in the works. Pugh and Rowe said they’re getting bipartisan support and feedback as they work towards a final product.
