Automated Licence Plate Reader System

The LaSalle Police Service will soon be deploying an Automatic Licence Plate Recognition System equipped vehicle. The system was recently purchased using funds received through a provincial grant to combat Human Trafficking. The system will be in use in areas where Human Trafficking may be occurring as well as other areas of the Town of LaSalle. The Automated Licence Plate Recognition System (ALPRS), which is installed on a marked police cruiser, automatically scans licence plates up to 20 metres away. The system will alert officers of stolen plates and vehicles, plates registered to suspended drivers, expired permits and other offences. The system will also notify officers of missing and wanted persons and vehicles associated to AMBER alerts.

The information is stored in a “hotlist” and is information that is already available to officers if they were to run your licence plate on the computer in their car themselves; it does not give police access to any new information.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has released guidles on the use of ALPR systems by police. This report ensures that our use of this new technology respects your privacy rights recognized under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that we handle your personal information in a lawful manner. Prior to implementing the ALPRS, a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) will be conducted to assess the potential impact its use could have on your privacy.

Our collection, retention, use and disclosure of any personal information obtained from the ALPRS program is done so in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does it look like?

Cameras are mounted on the roof of the cruiser (Marked Ford Explorer)  Two cameras point forward and one points to the rear.

What is a Hotlist?

A hotlist is a list of licence plates that have been identified by our Service, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) or the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) as being of interest to police.

What Plates get added to a “Hot List”

A plate can be added to the hotlist for many reasons including, but not limited to:

  • stolen vehicles
  • stolen licence plates
  • expired permits
  • no insurance
  • if the owner of the licence plate is:
    • a suspended driver
    • wanted
    • missing
    • the subject of an open and active criminal investigation

What is a hit ?

A hit happens when a scanned licence plate matches a plate on a hotlist.

What is a Non-Hit?

A non-hit happens when a scanned licence plate does not match a plate on a hotlist.

What happens when a licence plate is scanned? Is information stored in the system?

If your licence plate is a non-hit, the officer will not even be notified that your plate was scanned. All information related to a non-hit is deleted.

If your licence plate is a hit, the officer will receive a notification of the hit and will receive basic information about the vehicle and the registered owner such as the make, model and colour of the vehicle, and the name, gender and date of birth of the owner.

The officer must then stop the vehicle and verify all information within the hit before taking any enforcement action. Hit information is retained in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

Can the camera take video or pictures of anything else?

The camera does not record video, and does not save or analyze pictures of anything that is not a licence plate. It cannot be used to detect moving violations, such as speeding, going through a red light or stop sign, and distracted driving. The cameras are angled downward to capture licence plates only, not the driver or any passengers in the motor vehicle.

Important Info: