License plate cameras grow across Iowa, but transparency varies
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Often unnoticed across the metro, on utility poles, street corners and patrol cars, is a growing network of cameras capturing license plates and vehicle locations in real time.
Why it matters: Police say automated license plate readers help them find missing people and identify suspects, but the ACLU of Iowa warns the expanding surveillance raises serious privacy concerns, especially because transparency varies widely across police departments.
How it works: Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) automatically scan and store license plate data, regardless of whether a vehicle is flagged by law enforcement.
Driving the news: The ACLU of Iowa and the University of Iowa Technology Law Clinic released a statewide report regarding ALPR usage last week after requesting data from law enforcement agencies across Iowa.
- The records requests included who on staff has access to the license plate database, what they're searching for, a list of cameras and if they offer a public transparency portal with metrics like monthly vehicle detections and search volumes.
By the numbers: At the Des Moines Police Department, ALPRs are on patrol vehicles and two fixed sites, totaling 130 cameras. The city contracts with Motorola Solutions for its cameras, totaling around $1.5 million over five years.
What they're saying: Sgt. Paul Parizek of Des Moines police tells Axios the cameras provided "critical evidence" in October after a Des Moines man was accused of secretly filming people, including children, in portable toilets.
- The cameras helped the police department identify dozens of victims and were essential in seeking justice for them, he says.
Yes, but: Megan Graham, director of the University of Iowa Technology Law Clinic, says the public rarely hears about potential risks — from data retention to possible misuse — because police agencies may not be forthcoming about problems or acknowledge them.
Zoom in: In the ACLU of Iowa and UI report, transparency over records varied in the metro, including the number of cameras they operated and what police departments searched for.
- The Altoona and Waukee police departments said they had no records showing the number of cameras, but if they did, they would be confidential. However, UI's technology clinic found their camera inventory publicly online, listed by Flock, their vendor.
- Ankeny police said they had no records of their cameras or database searches. Urbandale shared its camera inventory, but said its searches were confidential. Johnston and Des Moines also shared their inventory, but said they had no search records. Clive said their searches were confidential, though they were found online, per the report.
- The Indianola and West Des Moines police departments provided these records.
What's next: The ACLU of Iowa recommends lawmakers adopt statewide ALPR guidelines with privacy protections in mind, so there's more consistency and transparency.