Missouri – Missouri is drawing a new line around a technology that can quietly record where vehicles travel, one license plate at a time. The goal is not to remove the tool from police departments, but to put firm limits around what happens to the data after a camera captures it.
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 26-18 on Sept. 16, creating statewide safeguards for Automated License Plate Reader technology used by state agencies and local law enforcement entities receiving state funding. The governor’s office described Kehoe as the first governor in the nation to take this type of action aimed at protecting residents’ privacy while maintaining legitimate law enforcement uses of ALPR systems.
The cameras, including systems operated by Flock Safety, automatically record license plates and vehicle information on public roads. Police agencies can use the technology to develop investigative leads, recover stolen vehicles and help locate missing or endangered people. At the same time, the large amount of location information collected by the systems has raised questions about access, retention and misuse.
“Protecting citizens also means protecting their constitutional rights,” Kehoe said. He said government should not create a permanent record showing where law-abiding Missourians travel, who they visit or how they live their daily lives.
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Under the order, most captured license plate images and vehicle data must be permanently deleted within 30 days. Information may be kept longer when it is directly connected to an active criminal investigation, a life-safety emergency such as a missing-person case, or when retention is required by a court order.
The rules also prohibit vendors from selling, sharing or commercializing Missouri-generated ALPR information for non-law-enforcement purposes. ALPR searches must be limited to criminal justice and legitimate lifesaving uses, and agencies covered by the order cannot integrate artificial intelligence facial-recognition systems with ALPR technology. Every query must also record the user’s identity and a valid case number or specific law-enforcement justification.
Misuse can trigger disciplinary proceedings, possible criminal referral and a report to the Missouri Department of Public Safety for potential officer licensing action.
DPS Director Mark James said ALPR systems have helped law enforcement catch violent offenders, recover stolen vehicles and find missing people, while adding that the state needs an accountable framework that also protects privacy and civil liberties.
The safeguards take effect immediately while Missouri officials and lawmakers work toward a permanent statutory framework. DPS was also directed to issue ALPR best-practice guidance within 10 days and work with law enforcement organizations and other officials on proposed legislation. The full [Executive Order 26-18] is available through the Missouri Secretary of State.
