Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Technology
ALPR Cameras
Preventing, detecting, and solving crime while protecting privacy and civil rights.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office uses automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to help prevent, detect, and solve crime throughout the county. These cameras capture license plates and key vehicle details—such as make, color, and notable characteristics. This helps deputies identify vehicles linked to criminal activity, even when plates are missing, altered, or switched.
ALPR technology is a valuable investigative resource that supports public safety without infringing on individual rights. JCSO uses this system under policies that emphasize responsible use, constitutional protections, privacy, and accountability.
Why We Use ALPR Cameras
Our ALPR system delivers real-time alerts and investigative leads that help deputies:
- Locate stolen vehicles;
- Identify suspect vehicles connected to criminal investigations;
- Track vehicles involved in violent crimes;
- Support searches for missing or endangered people; and
- Reduce the need for high-risk traffic stops.
License plates are public information visible on public roads. ALPR technology simply automates what a deputy can observe, improving accuracy and efficiency.
How ALPR Cameras Work
Our ALPR cameras are installed at fixed locations across Jefferson County. They capture still images of passing vehicles, including:
- License plate number;
- Vehicle make and color; and
- Distinctive features (stickers, racks, damage, unique equipment, etc.).
Images are securely transmitted through encrypted cellular connections and stored in our ALPR vendor’s secure cloud environment.
The cameras do not capture:
- Faces;
- Gender; or
- Race or ethnicity.
Deputies cannot search for information the cameras do not collect.
Our Commitment to Privacy and Civil Rights
JCSO is committed to protecting and respecting individual rights. Our use of ALPR cameras follows strict policies that ensure lawful, appropriate, and transparent operation.
Key privacy safeguards include:
Common Questions
JCSO uses automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras from Flock Safety.
Our ALPR cameras capture:
- License plate number;
- Vehicle make and color;
- Direction of vehicle travel;
- Unique vehicle features; and
- Time, date, and camera location.
They do not capture information that identifies vehicle occupants.
ALPR data supports:
- Criminal investigations;
- Locating missing or endangered persons;
- Real-time alerts for vehicles tied to criminal activity (NCIC, CCIC, CBI, etc.);
- Recovery of stolen vehicles; and
- Crime-prevention and safety efforts.
Data is not used for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement based solely on an ALPR alert, or any non-law enforcement purpose.
All data is deleted after 30 days, unless it is preserved as evidence in an ongoing criminal case.
All ALPR data is owned by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Our ALPR vendor stores the data on JCSO’s behalf and does not sell or share it.
We provide access to approved Colorado law enforcement agencies, subject to the following requirements:
Other law enforcement agencies may request access only if:
- They are a participating partner agency on the same ALPR network as JCSO;
- The request is tied to an active criminal investigation; and
- The request complies with all legal and policy requirements.
JCSO oversight includes:
- Mandatory training for all users;
- Regular audits of system access;
- Requires multi-factor authentication (MFA) and other strong access controls;
- The platform aligns with updated FBI CJIS security policies, which includes enhanced identity and authentication safeguards required for criminal justice information systems;
- Permission limits based on job duties;
- Automatic data deletion after 30 days (unless evidence); and
- Strict adherence to policy.
Any misuse is investigated and may result in disciplinary action.
Contact Us
For questions about ALPR technology or JCSO policies, please contact:
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Public Affairs
Phone: 720-515-0340
Email: publicaffairs@jeffco.us
The following is posted on the website of our ALPR vendor, Flock Safety (link opens in a new tab).
Claim: ALPRs can track people and show police everywhere they go.
Fact: They do not track vehicles in the whole of their movements. ALPRs take a point-in-time image of the rear of vehicles on public roadways. Any images not used for an investigation are deleted.
Claim: License plates are private information.
Fact: As government-issued identifiers, license plates are legally required to be publicly visible.
Claim: ALPRs violate the Fourth Amendment.
Fact: ALPRs do not violate the Fourth Amendment or any other constitutional provision. More than thirty appellate and federal courts have upheld the use of LPR evidence.
Claim: All of our ALPR vendor’s customer data is shared across the country.
Fact: Customers control all data sharing. Agencies can share camera access with other police 1:1 (PD to PD), by geographic radius (e.g., 10 miles), or statewide. Agencies can also choose to share data nationwide.
Claim: Our ALPR vendor sells customer data and compiles it into a national database.
Fact: No such database exists. Customers own 100% of their data. The vendor does not sell it. Only customers (police, neighborhoods, or businesses) decide who to share data with. Data is deleted after the retention period.
Claim: Our ALPR vendor’s private customers can access law enforcement data.
Fact: The vendor’s private customers can never access law enforcement data. The vendor’s private customers can, if they choose, share footage with police, but in no case is law enforcement data accessible to private customers.
Claim: Our ALPR vendor keeps LPR data forever.
Fact: The vendor permanently deletes ALPR data in accordance with applicable law and the locally established parameters for data retention. The vendor’s standard data retention is 30 days, but this may be increased or decreased if required by a customer’s law or policy.
Claim: Federal agencies have back-door access to our ALPR vendor.
Fact: “Back-door access” does not exist. Customers have complete control over sharing and the vendor never shares data without their permission. Collaboration with federal agencies is the customer's choice.
Claim: ALPR cameras collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Fact: The vendor’s ALPR system does not collect PII. The vendor collects images of vehicles, vehicle characteristics, and license plates, which are government documents required to be displayed on vehicles as a condition of using public roadways. The vendor does not have access to any PII (such as names, addresses, SSNs, or DMV records).
Claim: Our ALPR vendor’s ALPR cameras use facial recognition.
Fact: The vendor’s ALPR cameras do not use facial recognition. The vendor’s ALPR system cannot be used to search for human characteristics, like race or gender.
Claim: ALPR cameras negatively impact Communities of Color.
Fact: Oakland NAACP endorsed the vendor’s ALPR, noting it reduces bias in policing. Cameras detect only crime vehicles, removing subjective judgment to avoid disproportionate stops/harmful interactions with Black and Brown residents.
Claim: ALPRs don’t have an impact on crime.
Fact: ALPRs have measurable impacts on crime and close rates. The San Diego Mayor credited a 20% decrease in auto theft to the vendor’s ALPR. The San Francisco Mayor credited the vendor’s ALPR for a 41% decrease in auto theft and a 46% increase in auto theft arrests.
Vendor Facts About Privacy
CUSTOMER-OWNED DATA: Customers own 100% of their data and will never be sold or shared without authorization.
DATA ACCESS: Private customers do not have access to government data.
AUTOMATIC DELETION: The vendor automatically deletes data by default after 30 days.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: The vendor’s ALPR has no access to personally identifiable information.
DATA SHARING: Only our agency decides who to share data with, not the vendor.
DATA SECURITY: The vendor does not build or enable back doors into customer data.