HowsomeCT police departments are using license plate readers and why location remains a mystery

Aug. 14—While law enforcement officials say the devices are a way to quickly monitor criminal activity, the technology is raising privacy concerns from civil rights activists, as the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut has said the technology enables police to track everyday movements of motorists.

In Hartford, there are a total of 22 stationary license plate readers throughout the city, police Sgt. Chris Mastroianni said, adding that their locations are determined by the availability of appropriate infrastructure and network requirements.

However, Hartford police did not disclose the specific locations of the readers.

Like other scanners in the state, Hartford's devices collection various pieces of information, including license plate numbers, and vehicles' make, style, and color.

There is "a large nexus" between vehicles, many of which are stolen, and crimes committed, Mastroianni said. "In many instances, a vehicle is the only key piece of initial information for a variety of crimes, especially gun crimes, stolen vehicles, and evading car accidents."

When one of the devices gets a "hit" on a vehicle of interest, an investigation can be quickly initiated and information about a suspect can be established to help investigators, Mastroianni said.

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The "data is used consistently to bring solvability to gun violence cases, evading motor vehicle accidents, stolen vehicles, and many other criminal investigations," Mastroianni said.

Police in Bridgeport and New Haven did not respond to repeated requests seeking comment regarding license plate readers in their communities. State police have used the scanners on highways, while New Canaan and West Hartford are two other towns that have installed the readers.

Glastonbury policy

The Glastonbury Police Department implemented a policy for its use of the devices four days after Hearst Connecticut Media published an article for which the Glastonbury police did not respond to questions.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Chief Marshal Porter said that his department received several inquiries about the new devices.

"The decision to begin utilizing (automatic license plate readers) was made in 2022 in response to public and police concerns over an increase in stolen vehicles and related crimes," he wrote. "Before funding the program, we held an information meeting so the public could offer comments."

Funding for the technology was approved through Glastonbury's normal annual budget process.

The devices "are now commonplace throughout the state and the country, playing an important role in improving public safety and police effectiveness," Porter wrote. "They are integral in helping police solve crimes and they save valuable personnel hours."

As law enforcement agencies share data collected, Glastonbury police frequently use other agencies' collected information in their investigations, he wrote.

The data collected is shared on a centralized database accessible only to law enforcement and is automatically compared to information significant to police, such as a vehicles association with a missing person, Amber Alerts, thefts, and "others reasonably believed to be involved in outstanding law enforcement actions or investigations," Porter wrote.

Glastonbury's data is retained for 30 days unless needed for an investigation, he wrote.

Along with privacy concerns, the ACLU of Connecticut has also questioned the practice of providing collected data to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, or ICE, which several police departments in the state have been accused of doing.

Porter said that Glastonbury's information "will not be shared with agencies in support of administrative and criminal law enforcement missions related to immigration matters."

Hartford has agreements to share information with other law enforcement agencies as long as they are on the same operating system, but the "data is not shared with federal agencies," Mastroianni said.

According to the Glastonbury police website, its license plate reader policy went into effect on Aug. 1, four days after a Hearst Connecticut Media report about license plate readers popping up throughout the state.

Glastonbury police did not respond to questions related to that article.

According to the policy, authorized categories for alerts collected by license plate readers in Glastonbury include stolen vehicles, warrants, missing persons, protective orders, Amber Alerts, and missing children.

Prohibited alerts include sex offenders, stolen license plates, gang members or suspected terrorists, undocumented immigrants, and people under supervised release, among others.

However, exceptions can be made if information is required for "a specific investigation or other public safety purpose," the policy states, adding that audits of records are conducted "at the discretion of the chief of police."

It is difficult to determine exactly where the devices are installed because there is no state law regulating their usage, nor is there a centralized database showing their location.

Of the several municipal and state police departments questioned by Hearst Connecticut Media, none would say where their stationary license plate readers are.