Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR)
Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR)
Public Information & Frequently Asked Questions
The Haddon Township Police Department uses Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology as a public-safety and investigative tool.
ALPR technology helps law enforcement identify vehicles associated with criminal investigations, stolen vehicles, wanted or missing persons, and other legitimate law-enforcement purposes. It can also provide investigators with valuable information about when and where a vehicle was observed.
Because ALPR is a powerful investigative technology, its use in New Jersey is strictly regulated. Haddon Township Police Department personnel must comply with New Jersey Attorney General requirements, statewide ALPR policies, and Department procedures governing who may access ALPR information, why it may be accessed, how that access is documented, how information may be shared, and how long data may be retained.
Our goal is to use this technology effectively to protect our community while maintaining appropriate safeguards, accountability, and transparency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ALPR?
Automated License Plate Recognition uses cameras and optical character recognition technology to automatically detect and read license plates on vehicles that pass within view of an ALPR camera.
Depending upon the particular system, an ALPR record may include:
- An image of the license plate and the characters read from it;
- A contextual image of the vehicle;
- The location where the vehicle was observed; and
- The date and time of the observation.
In simple terms, ALPR creates a record that a vehicle was observed at a particular place and time.
What does ALPR NOT do?
ALPR is not facial recognition technology.
It does not automatically identify the person driving a vehicle.
An ALPR observation does not establish that a person has committed a crime.
An ALPR alert does not automatically authorize police to stop, search, or arrest someone.
ALPR data is not available for officers to search for personal curiosity or without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose.
Why does HTPD use ALPR?
ALPR can provide officers and investigators with information that would otherwise be extremely difficult or sometimes impossible to obtain.
For example, ALPR may help law enforcement:
- Locate stolen vehicles;
- Locate vehicles associated with wanted or missing persons;
- Identify vehicles associated with criminal investigations;
- Develop investigative leads following a serious crime;
- Determine whether a particular vehicle was observed near the location of a criminal event;
- Assist with AMBER and SILVER Alerts;
- Recover stolen property; and
- Support other legitimate law-enforcement and public-safety operations.
HTPD policy specifically authorizes ALPR use for legitimate law-enforcement purposes including homeland security, suspect interdiction, stolen property recovery, crime detection, enforcement of State law and local ordinances, stolen vehicles and license plates, wanted and missing persons, AMBER Alert assistance, crime prevention, and traffic-related matters.
How has ALPR helped Haddon Township?
ALPR has become an important investigative tool for the Haddon Township Police Department.
HTPD has successfully utilized ALPR information during investigations involving serious offenses including, murder, attempted murder, robbery, luring, endangering the welfare of a minor, stalking, burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft, acts of lewdness, missing persons, and the apprehension of wanted persons.
ALPR does not replace police work. Rather, it can provide an investigative lead that officers and detectives must evaluate, verify, and develop using traditional investigative methods.
Privacy & Safeguards
Does ALPR constantly track people?
ALPR cameras record vehicle license plates that come within the camera’s field of view. Under HTPD policy, ALPR cameras may only scan license plates of vehicles exposed to public view—such as vehicles traveling on public roadways or vehicles visible from a public roadway or publicly accessible location.
An individual ALPR observation represents a vehicle being observed at a particular location and time. It does not, by itself, identify who was driving the vehicle.
Can an officer search ALPR information for any reason?
No.
ALPR searches must have a legitimate and specific law-enforcement purpose.
Current NJ SNAP requirements establish minimum documentation standards for ALPR activity, including:
- User identification;
- Date and time;
- An authorized purpose or justification; and
- A law-enforcement report number associated with the vehicle or person that is the subject of the activity.
Generic or unspecified explanations are not sufficient. The NJ SNAP Activity Policy specifically distinguishes legitimate, specific law-enforcement purposes from inadequate generic justifications.
This creates an auditable record of ALPR activity and helps ensure the system is being used for authorized purposes.
Who can access ALPR information?
Access is restricted to authorized users.
Under HTPD policy, authorized users must successfully complete required ALPR training and be authorized to operate ALPR technology or access stored ALPR information.
The current NJSP statewide user agreement also requires users to acknowledge applicable Attorney General, NJ SNAP, privacy, audit, and training requirements and prohibits users from sharing their account or login credentials.
Is access to ALPR information recorded?
Yes.
HTPD policy requires records of access to stored ALPR information. Depending upon the activity, those records document information such as the date and time of access, the authorized user, the purpose or justification for access, and required supervisory approvals.
Current NJ SNAP policy similarly establishes minimum documentation requirements for ALPR searches and other ALPR activity and provides for auditing of searches, BOLO lists, and Points of Interest across ALPR vendors.
Alerts & Police Action
Does an ALPR alert automatically mean police will stop a vehicle?
No.
An ALPR alert provides information to an officer. The officer must determine the reason for the alert and take only the action that is lawful and appropriate under the circumstances.
HTPD policy recognizes that additional verification may be required before an officer has a lawful basis to stop a vehicle.
Current NJ SNAP policy also requires a BOLO or Point of Interest match that compels further law-enforcement action to be confirmed as valid in an appropriate law-enforcement database.
An ALPR alert is an investigative tool—not a substitute for the legal requirements governing police action.
Data Storage & Retention
How long is ALPR data retained?
Under current HTPD policy, stored ALPR data is generally retained for three years, after which it is purged from the data storage system. Data that becomes part of an investigative or evidentiary record may be maintained in accordance with applicable evidence or records-management procedures.
Current NJ SNAP policy identifies retaining ALPR information longer than three years without a valid exception as a significant violation for New Jersey agencies.
Does the camera company own HTPD's ALPR data?
No.
HTPD policy expressly provides that ALPR data is the property of the law-enforcement agency and not the ALPR vendor. Stored information must be maintained securely with access restricted to authorized users.
Sharing & Use Restrictions
Can HTPD simply share ALPR information with anyone who asks for it?
No.
ALPR information is law-enforcement information subject to restrictions on access, use, and disclosure.
Current statewide requirements provide that when ALPR information is accessed or entered on behalf of another law-enforcement employee, the requesting individual and agency must be appropriately documented so the activity remains auditable.
NJSP’s current user agreement also specifically prohibits users from providing ALPR information to another person, agency, entity, or system outside their agency without properly documenting the request through the required process.
Are there uses of ALPR information that New Jersey specifically prohibits?
Yes.
Current New Jersey statewide ALPR requirements prohibit agencies, users, and vendors from using, transferring, selling, allowing access to, or sharing ALPR data for purposes related to:
Civil immigration enforcement; or
Investigating or enforcing laws that deny or interfere with a person’s right to choose or obtain reproductive health care or other lawful health care services as defined under New Jersey law.
These restrictions appear in the current NJ SNAP Activity Policy and NJSP statewide user agreement.
Oversight & Accountability
Who oversees HTPD's use of ALPR technology?
HTPD does not establish ALPR rules in isolation.
The Department operates within a statewide framework established by the New Jersey Attorney General, with additional oversight and requirements established through New Jersey’s Statewide Networked ALPR Program (NJ SNAP).
HTPD also designates an Agency ALPR Coordinator responsible for internally overseeing the Department’s ALPR program, including training, authorized users, access requests, information sharing, and audits.
ALPR records must be maintained in a manner that facilitates review and auditing by appropriate oversight authorities, including the County Prosecutor and Attorney General or their designees.
NJ SNAP’s current Activity Policy further provides for audits of ALPR searches, BOLO activity, and Points of Interest across ALPR vendors. The stated purposes of this oversight include quality control, identifying misuse, safeguarding law enforcement and the public, and maintaining public trust.
What happens if someone misuses ALPR?
Unauthorized access or use of ALPR information can have serious consequences.
Current statewide policy identifies significant violations including intentionally accessing or disclosing ALPR data without authorization, providing false justifications or report numbers, sharing usernames or passwords, unauthorized deployment or use of cameras, failure to maintain required audit records, tampering with ALPR data, improper retention, and violations of applicable use or sharing restrictions.
Noncompliance can result in suspension or revocation of ALPR access, departmental discipline, administrative review or investigation, and other consequences. The NJSP user agreement advises authorized users that violations may also result in civil liability and/or criminal charges where applicable.
A Powerful Tool With Important Safeguards
ALPR technology provides law enforcement with capabilities that can significantly assist in solving crimes, locating wanted or missing persons, recovering stolen vehicles, and protecting the public.
With that capability comes responsibility.
Haddon Township Police Department’s use of ALPR is governed by statewide requirements concerning authorization, training, legitimate law-enforcement purpose, documentation, data security, retention, sharing, auditing, and oversight.
The Department believes residents should understand not only what this technology can do, but also the rules governing how we are permitted to use it.
Our objective is straightforward: use technology responsibly to make Haddon Township safer while maintaining appropriate privacy protections, accountability, and public trust.