The Iowa House has passed a bill to regulate law enforcement’s use of systems that capture and store images of license plates.
The bill (SF 2284) would require Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) to be authorized by city or county ordinance and says they could only use systems approved by a state agency.
Plate readers couldn’t be used for facial recognition, and police would have to delete license plate images after 30 days unless they were needed for an investigation. Law enforcement would also have to record why they searched for each image.
Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, said the bill isn’t perfect, but it’s a compromise that’s better than current law.
“I think this is a challenging situation where we’re trying to balance law enforcement, allowing them to do their job, with the fear of a surveillance state,” Scholten said.
Rep. Ryan Weldon, R-Ankeny, said the bill doesn’t change how private companies that operate ALPRs, like Flock Safety, handle Iowans’ data.
“A privacy bill that, in my opinion, doesn’t address private vendors isn’t a privacy bill,” Weldon said. “It is a half measure, and it’s for that reason that I will not be supporting something that gives Iowans the impression that the problem is solved when it isn’t.”
Rep. David Young, R- Van Meter, said the bill strikes a balance between protecting liberty and keeping communities safe.
The bill now goes to the Senate.