Report 2019-118 Recommendation 8 Responses

Report 2019-118: Automated License Plate Readers: To Better Protect Individuals' Privacy, Law Enforcement Must Increase Its Safeguards for the Data It Collects (Release Date: February 2020)

Recommendation #8 To: Fresno Police Department

To minimize the privacy risk of retaining ALPR images for a long period of time, Fresno should include in its ALPR policy a retention period for data or lists, such as hot lists, used to link persons of interest with license plate images, and create necessary processes to ensure that those data unrelated to ongoing investigations are periodically removed from its ALPR system.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021

See section 453.4 DATA COLLECTION AND RETENTION, in paragraphs 1-2. Language was added consistent with the audit findings.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

The Fresno Police Department did not provide a one-year response to this recommendation.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

The Fresno Police Department will maintain active hot lists for 30 days. If an investigator requires a longer period, approval will be obtained from a commander. This has been incorporated in the revised ALPR policy.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented

Fresno has updated its ALPR policy, but not yet integrated it into it's policy manual. Until such time time as Fresno makes public it's update policy, we consider the actions it has taken to partially implement this recommendation.

60-Day Agency Response

The Fresno Police Department has every intention on complying with the audit recommendations; however, this crisis has delayed us. Prior to COVID-19, we had already restructured our sharing MOU and were in the process of working on some of the other items due in April; however, this pandemic has caused us to shift our resources.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

We acknowledge the difficulty of the current situation with COVID-19. We look forward to the department's future status reports.

All Recommendations in 2019-118

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.