Minor League Snoops The spying of the federal government on American citizens is well documented. The revelations of Edward Snowden have filled news archives with articles detailing the snooping of the United States government. This accepted and understood. To what extent though does an individual have to anticipate surveillance at a more local level? Is there a difference in the ability of local governments versus the federal government to spy on citizens and should one be more acceptable than the other?

The Dragnet Earlier this year, it was revealed that police in Oakland California were employing Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to track license plates. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which analyzed the data, found that as few as two patrol cars equipped with ALPRs were responsible for collecting 63,272 data points. On average, the EFF found that individual plates were recorded on average 1.3 times. With the sheer amount of plates being collected, it seems safe to say that this is not a targeted approach. The movements of individuals are being tracked with little regard for reasonable suspicion and for the sole sake of data collection.

The Technology According to the ACLU, ALPR technology consists of high-speed cameras which capture license plates and then add and compare them to a growing database of previously recorded plates. The cameras may also more than just license plates, and sometimes record vehicle occupants and location. Oakland is not the only city to employ the technology, but they are among the most willing to divulge their use of the collected data. Police in Los Angeles have been reticent to be completely open regarding their use of ALPRs. A district court in San Diego ruled last year that the collection of license plate data did not constitute public information and that the holders of the information were not required to turn it over. The judge cited concerns that criminals could use the information to locate the ALPR cameras or areas of police investigation.