2022 -- H 7507

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LC004728

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Solomon, Edwards, Ajello, Filippi, and Casimiro

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2022

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 12 of the General Laws entitled "CRIMINAL PROCEDURE" is hereby

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amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 5.3

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AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS

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     12-5.3-1. Automated license plate reader defined.

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     As used in this chapter, “automated license plate reader” means an electronic device

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mounted on a law enforcement vehicle or positioned in a stationary location that is capable of

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recording data on, or taking a photograph of, the license plate of a vehicle and comparing the

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collected data and photographs to existing law enforcement databases for investigative purposes.

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"Automated license plate reader" includes a device that is owned or operated by a person who is

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not a government entity to the extent that data collected by the reader is shared with a law

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enforcement agency. For the purposes of this chapter, “automated license plate reader” does not

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refer to those electronic devices mounted on a law enforcement vehicle or positioned in a stationary

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location that is capable of recording data on, or taking a photograph of, the license plate of a vehicle

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solely for the purpose of recording the speed on a vehicle, recording information for tolling

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purposes, or recording traffic patterns and assessing traffic violations at an intersection.

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     12-5.3-2. Approval mandatory for funding acquisition or use.

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     (a) A municipal law enforcement agency shall obtain city or town council approval

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following an advertised public hearing of the council prior to engaging in any of the following acts:

 

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     (1) Seeking funds for automated license plate readers, including, but not limited to,

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applying for a grant or soliciting or accepting state or federal funds or in-kind or other donations;

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     (2) Acquiring or borrowing automated license plate readers, whether or not that acquisition

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is made through the exchange of monies or other consideration; or

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     (3) Soliciting proposals for or entering into an agreement with any other person or entity

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to acquire, share, or otherwise use automated license plate readers or data therefrom.

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     (b) A state law enforcement agency shall adopt via rulemaking procedures pursuant to

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chapter 35 of title 42 its policies and procedures relating to the operation of an automated license

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plate reader system prior to engaging in any of the following acts:

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     (1) Seeking funds for automated license plate readers, including, but not limited to,

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applying for a grant or soliciting or accepting state or federal funds or in-kind or other donations;

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     (2) Acquiring or borrowing automated license plate readers, whether or not that acquisition

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is made through the exchange of monies or other consideration; or

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     (3) Soliciting proposals for or entering into an agreement with any other person or entity

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to acquire, share, or otherwise use automated license plate readers or data therefrom.

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     12-5.3-3. Regulated use of automated license plate readers.

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     (a) Operation of and access to an automated license plate reader shall be for official law

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enforcement purposes only, and shall only be used to scan, detect, and identify license plate

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numbers for the purpose of identifying:

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     (1) Stolen vehicles;

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     (2) Vehicles associated with wanted, missing, or endangered persons; or

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     (3) Vehicles that register as a match within the National Crime Information Center.

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     (b) An automated license plate reader shall not be used for:

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     (1) Photographing or recording or producing images of the occupants of a motor vehicle;

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     (2) Photographing or recording or producing images of further identifying features of a

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vehicle, including, but not limited to, bumper stickers, paint color, or other unique aesthetic details;

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     (3) Photographing or recording or producing images of passersby or pedestrians, including

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the photographing, recording, or production of images which may identify biometric information

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about such passersby or pedestrians through the usage of facial, voice, iris, or other software;

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     (4) In the absence of a judicial warrant, utilizing any photographs or records or images

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produced through the implementation of the automated license plate reader for the purpose of

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identifying potentially associated vehicles or tracking the number of times that a specific vehicle

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has driven by the automated license plate reader over a certain period of time; or

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     (5) Recording or otherwise capturing audio.

 

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     (c) Prior to using an automated license plate reader, the municipal or state law enforcement

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agency that intends to use the technology shall register it with the department of public safety on

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forms approved by the director of the department of public safety, or designee. The director, or

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designee, in conjunction with the head of the law enforcement agency, shall certify that the

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automated license plate reader meets all requirements of this chapter and that the agency has a

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policy or policies in effect governing its use in accordance with this chapter and a documented

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training process for the officers that will use it.

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     (d) A positive match by an automated license plate reader alone shall not constitute

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reasonable suspicion as grounds for a law enforcement officer to stop the vehicle. Prior to stopping

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a vehicle based on identification within the automated license plate reader database, the officer

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shall immediately confirm visually that the license plate on the vehicle matches the image of the

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license plate displayed on the automated license plate reader and that the license plate number

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meets one of the criteria specified in subsection (a) of this section.

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     (e) Records of license plates recorded by an automated license plate reader shall not be

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transmitted for any other purpose and shall be purged from the database or system within thirty

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(30) days of their capture in such a manner that they are destroyed and not recoverable, unless the

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identification of a license plate resulted in an arrest, a citation, or identified a vehicle that was the

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subject of a missing person or wanted broadcast, or remains the subject of an active investigation

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to the extent authorized by this chapter, in which case the data on the particular license plate may

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be retained until final disposition of the matter. Captured license plate data obtained for the

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purposes identified in section (a) of this section shall not be used or shared for any other purpose.

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     (f) A law enforcement officer shall be certified in automated license plate reader operation

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by the department of public safety prior to operating an automated license plate reader system.

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     12-5.3-4. Public log of use required.

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     (a) A law enforcement agency that installs or uses any automated license plate reader must

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maintain a public log of its use, to be updated on an ongoing monthly basis, containing but not

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limited to, the following information:

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     (1) The aggregate number of vehicles on which data is collected for each month of use and

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a list of all state and federal databases with which the data were compared, unless the existence of

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the database itself is not public;

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     (2) For each month of use, a breakdown of the number of vehicles in which the collected

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data identified a stolen vehicle or license plate, a warrant for the arrest of the owner of the vehicle,

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or any other basis for pursuing the owner or operator of a motor vehicle based on an identification

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generated in accordance with § 12-5.3-3(a);

 

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     (3) The location at which any stationary or fixed location automated license plate reader

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that is actively collecting data is installed and used;

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     (4) A summary of complaints or concerns that were received during each month of active

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use about the automated license plate reader; and

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     (5) Any instances of erroneous identification by the automated license plate reader.

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     (b) The law enforcement agency must maintain a public list of current and previous

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locations for automated license plate readers, including dates at those locations, of any fixed

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stationary automated license plate readers used by the agency.

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     12-5.3-5. Review of preexisting uses mandatory.

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     No later than one hundred twenty (120) days following the effective date of this chapter,

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any law enforcement agency seeking to continue the use of any automated license plate reader that

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was in use prior to the effective date, must commence an approval process in accordance with §§

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12-5.3-2 and 12-5.3-3. If the continued use of the automated license plate reader has not been

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approved within one hundred eighty (180) days of its submission, the municipal entity or state

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agency shall cease its use of the automated license plate reader and the sharing of data therefrom

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unless and until such time as approval is obtained in accordance with this chapter.

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     12-5.3-6. Remedies and penalties.

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     (a) To ensure compliance with this chapter or to investigate complaints of misuse of

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automated license plate readers, the attorney general or designee may examine and audit any

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automated license plate reader, a server used to store automated license plate reader data, and

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records pertaining to the use of an automatic license plate reader maintained by any state or

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municipal law enforcement agency. The attorney general may seek an injunction banning the use

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of automated license plate readers by an agency found to have used them in violation of this chapter

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and take any other appropriate action necessary to prevent ongoing violations or deter future

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violations.

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     (b) Any violation of this chapter, including, but not limited to, funding, acquiring, or

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utilizing automated license plate readers that has not been approved pursuant to this chapter or

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utilizing automated license plate readers in a manner or for a purpose that is not authorized herein,

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constitutes an injury and any person may institute proceedings for injunctive relief and declaratory

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relief, damages or evidence suppression in any court of competent jurisdiction.

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     (c) A court shall award costs, damages, and reasonable attorneys' fees to a plaintiff who is

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a prevailing party in an action brought to enforce this chapter.

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     (d) Any data or other information created or collected in contravention of this chapter, and

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any data or information derived therefrom, shall be immediately deleted and destroyed, and may

 

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not be offered as evidence by any municipal or state governmental entity in any criminal or civil

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action or proceeding except as evidence of the violation of this chapter; or be voluntarily provided

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to another person or entity for use as evidence or for any other purpose.

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     (e) Notwithstanding subsection (d) of this section, if, upon the discovery of data or other

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information that was created or collected in contravention of this chapter, it appears such data or

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information may be material to the defense in a criminal prosecution, a copy of the relevant,

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potentially material data or other information shall be turned over to the defendant before it is

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deleted and destroyed.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS

***

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     This act would provide for municipal and state police authorities to utilize automated

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license plate readers. Further, the act would identify what data may be collected and define how

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the data can be used.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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