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License-plate readers · Lee County

Lee County

Using license-plate readers · 3 agencies documented

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Auburn Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count. The Observer's 90-camera figure for Auburn and Opelika together is unsourced and not split by agency.
Sources
The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026
  1. Sept. 2026 Chief Michael Harris told The Observer the department has used license plate readers for about 14 years under policies drawn from IACP best practices. The article names no vendor for the department. Article dated Sept. 15, 2026. (The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No agency count. The Observer (Sept. 15, 2026) reported 102 Flock cameras in or at the edge of Lee County, 90 of them in or near Auburn and Opelika, without giving a source or saying who owns them.
Sources
The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026; WSFA 12 News, Aug. 13, 2026; WTVM, Dec. 23, 2024
  1. Dec. 2024 Sheriff Jay Jones credited Flock cameras with helping solve crimes; WTVM said they had been installed several years earlier. Article dated Dec. 23, 2024. (WTVM, Dec. 23, 2024)
  2. Aug. 2026 Jones welcomed Flock's new limits on data storage and sharing, and said the office's cameras alert only on tags entered in connection with criminal events. WSFA article dated Aug. 13, 2026. (WSFA 12 News, Aug. 13, 2026)
  3. Sept. 2026 Jones described self-audits and said plate-data use is tied to specific cases. Sheriff-elect Cam Hunt said he will review the office's Flock use and policies after taking office in January 2027. Observer article dated Sept. 15, 2026. (The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • A personnel matter from Sept. 2026 is under legal_risk_held, not published here.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Opelika Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
Chief Johnathan Clifton said OPD runs 'several cameras'; no number given (Observer, Sept. 15, 2026).
Sources
The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026
  1. Sept. 2026 Chief Clifton said OPD shares camera data with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and Auburn police. Access is limited to trained detectives who sign agreements, each search needs a criminal case number, and a command-staff supervisor reviews searches every three to four weeks. Article dated Sept. 15, 2026. (The Observer (Opelika), Sept. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The article does not name a vendor for OPD.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. May 22, 2020 ALDOT opened comment on rules allowing police plate readers on state rights-of-way; Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said he would file legislation to limit government use. (BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020)
  2. April 15, 2021 SB2 (2021), Orr's bill limiting law enforcement plate-reader use, setting confidentiality, destruction of data and criminal penalties, was amended in Senate Judiciary; it passed the Senate but died in the House. NBC 15 reported it would have required destruction after 30 months. (LegiScan, April 15, 2021; WSFA via WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026; NBC 15 (WPMI), Aug. 24, 2026)
  3. March 17, 2022 Alabama Justice Information Commission rules (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 265-X-6, authority Code of Ala. §41-9-620) took effect: plate-reader data only for criminal justice or public safety purposes; moved to an agency-controlled repository within 24 hours; access and dissemination logs; written public agency policy required before use; retention no more than five years unless tied to an active case (with ALEA notice); vendors must sign an ALEA CJIS security agreement; ALEA audits at least every three years, with access suspended after 90 days of noncompliance; plate, time, location and ORI to go to a State LPR Registry within 48 hours once ALEA establishes it. (Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022)
  4. Feb. 1, 2023 ALDOT permit requirement for public safety sensors on its right-of-way took full effect; unpermitted devices became removable encroachments. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023)
  5. 2026 The Alabama Sheriffs Association posted support for Flock and similar plate readers, saying agencies should have policies to protect the data (FOX10, Aug. 2, 2026; exact post date not given). FOX10 (Aug. 2, 2026) said the post went up that week. (FOX10 (WALA), Aug. 2, 2026)
  6. Aug. 24, 2026 Sen. Arthur Orr said he plans a 2027 bill: shorter retention (six months to a year), a warrant to access data with emergency exceptions, and tougher penalties for misuse. Later (Sept. 3) he said a statewide ban, stricter limits (retention from two weeks or 30 days up to a year; law-enforcement-only access), or the status quo were options, and called ALDOT's rules minimal. Sen. Robert Stewart (D-Selma) also backs changes. Prefiled bills expected after the Nov. 3, 2026 election; session begins in February 2027. (NBC 15 (WPMI), Aug. 24, 2026; WSFA via WBRC, Aug. 27, 2026; ABC 33/40, Sept. 3, 2026)
  7. Sept. 1, 2026 Rep. Rick Rehm (R-District 85) floated a full ban or tighter data rules; Sen. Donnie Chesteen said the Senate will likely take up the issue early in the session. Gov. Kay Ivey's office had not responded. (WTVY (via FOX10), Sept. 1, 2026)
  8. Sept. 18, 2026 Spectrum News reported no specific Alabama statute governs plate readers and cited an Alabama Policy Institute estimate of close to 2,800 Flock cameras in the state. (Spectrum News, Sept. 18, 2026)
  9. Sept. 22, 2026 ALDOT records obtained by WPMI/ABC 33/40 showed 872 public-safety sensors approved on state rights-of-way statewide; records did not show retention, access, vendor or safeguards. (ABC 33/40, Sept. 22, 2026)

State agencies

Alabama Department of Transportation

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
Permitting authority; no source shows ALDOT operating plate readers. ABC 33/40 (Sept. 22, 2026) reported ALDOT records show 872 public-safety sensors approved for other agencies on state rights-of-way (430 in central Alabama).
Sources
ABC 33/40, Sept. 22, 2026; Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023; Alabama Department of Transportation, Sept. 3, 2026; Alabama Department of Transportation, Oct. 31, 2026; BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020
  1. May 22, 2020 ALDOT proposed rules letting city, county and state law enforcement place plate readers and other 'public safety sensors' on its rights-of-way; three-year permits, no fee, use limited to law enforcement/public safety, no monetizing data; comments due May 29, 2020. (BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020)
  2. Feb. 1, 2023 Unpermitted sensors on ALDOT right-of-way without a submitted application became unlawful encroachments subject to removal (deadline to apply Jan. 31, 2023). Applicants need an ORI and an ALEA CJIS vendor verification permit for each LPR vendor. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023)
  3. Sept. 3, 2026 Active-application list updated; in this region it shows approved LPR permits for Gulf Shores PD and Pine Hill PD and pending LPR applications for Atmore, Brewton, Grove Hill, Semmes and Spanish Fort police. (Alabama Department of Transportation, Sept. 3, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • ALDOT's permit page links ALEA/AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6. The FAQ sets no retention period.

From agency records.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (CJIS Division)

Status
Checked: no program found
Vendors
Cameras
Count not documented
No source found showing ALEA operates its own readers. Under AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6 the ALEA CJIS Division is to keep a State LPR Registry, audit capturing agencies at least every three years and report each year to the commission; vendors must sign an ALEA CJIS security agreement. ALDOT's permit FAQ requires an ALEA CJIS vendor verification permit for each LPR vendor. In 2020 ALEA said it had no plans to use ALDOT property for sensors.
Sources
Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022; Alabama Department of Transportation, Jan. 1, 2023; BirminghamWatch (from Alabama Daily News), May 22, 2020
  1. March 17, 2022 AJIC rule chapter 265-X-6 took effect, giving ALEA CJIS the registry, audit and annual-report duties. (Alabama Administrative Code (Alabama Justice Information Commission), March 17, 2022)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Whether the State LPR Registry has been established is not known (records request).

From agency records.