The International Association of Chiefs of Police’s August 20, 2026 statement identifies eight safeguards for responsible automated license plate recognition programs. This crosswalk turns each safeguard into two agency questions and two vendor questions: 32 questions in all.
Use the agency questions to examine policy and operations. Use the vendor questions to check the product, its configuration, and the materials a buyer receives. These questions are a starting point for review, not a certification of any product or program. Requirements and permitted practices also depend on applicable law, contracts, and agency policy.
Safeguard 1 of 8
Document a lawful public safety purpose.
IACP safeguard: Use ALPR technology and data only for a documented, lawful public safety purpose.
Agency buyer
- Which purposes are authorized in policy and in the proposed agreement?
- Who approves and records a new use case after deployment?
Vendor and documentation
- Can the platform require and record a purpose, case number, or other justification for each search?
- Which invalid or incomplete searches can the system block, and which can it only flag for later review?
The agency defines authorized purposes. The vendor should show how the system records or enforces those choices.
Safeguard 2 of 8
Limit access to trained, authorized personnel.
IACP safeguard: Limit access and prohibit personal, political, retaliatory, discriminatory, commercial, and other unauthorized uses.
Agency buyer
- Who grants access, and how often is the list of active users reviewed?
- How are training and authorization checked before an account is activated or renewed?
Vendor and documentation
- Which roles and permissions can the agency configure, and what are the defaults?
- Can administrators promptly disable an account and see activity associated with that user?
Access controls support the policy; the agency still administers and reviews accounts.
Safeguard 3 of 8
Maintain a comprehensive written policy.
IACP safeguard: Cover authorized uses, deployment, hot lists, training, accuracy, access, security, sharing, retention, complaints, audits, and consequences for misuse.
Agency buyer
- Does the written policy cover each topic and reflect the proposed deployment?
- Who updates it when product settings, data partners, or legal requirements change?
Vendor and documentation
- Which configurable settings and reports help the agency carry out its policy?
- What onboarding materials explain settings, defaults, and policy choices without presenting a template as a substitute for agency review?
The vendor can support implementation. The agency owns the policy.
Safeguard 4 of 8
Treat alerts as investigative leads.
IACP safeguard: Treat each alert as a lead, not conclusive evidence; confirm the plate, jurisdiction, record status, and connection to the driver before enforcement action.
Agency buyer
- What verification steps are required in training and field procedure before action on an alert?
- How is that verification recorded or reviewed when an incident is examined later?
Vendor and documentation
- What does the interface show about an alert’s source, status, and possible error, and can a user record verification?
- Do product training and sales materials accurately explain the limits of an alert and the agency’s verification duty?
Avoid suggesting that a product interface makes an enforcement decision for an officer.
Safeguard 5 of 8
Keep audit records and review them.
IACP safeguard: Maintain tamper-resistant audit records and conduct regular audits, supervisory reviews, and periodic evaluations.
Agency buyer
- Who reviews searches and access, how often, and where is the review documented?
- Can the agency retrieve records to examine a specific user, search, disclosure, or period?
Vendor and documentation
- What events are logged, how are records protected against alteration, and how can the agency export them?
- Does the platform flag unusual activity, and what must the agency enable, configure, or review?
An audit feature supplies evidence. Supervisors must examine it and act on findings.
Safeguard 6 of 8
Investigate suspected misuse.
IACP safeguard: Investigate suspected misuse promptly, apply appropriate accountability when warranted, and use findings to improve controls.
Agency buyer
- Who receives a complaint or suspicious-use alert, and what process governs investigation and escalation?
- How are findings used to revise access, training, policy, or supervisory review?
Vendor and documentation
- Can administrators preserve relevant records and suspend access while an agency investigates?
- What support, notification, and record access does the vendor provide under the agreement when misuse is suspected?
The agency investigates personnel conduct. State vendor obligations precisely.
Safeguard 7 of 8
Protect data and limit retention.
IACP safeguard: Apply cybersecurity, authentication, access controls, and data-integrity measures; retain data only for an authorized purpose and purge it promptly afterward.
Agency buyer
- What retention period has the agency adopted, and do actual settings match it?
- Who reviews security controls, deletion practices, and exceptions for preserved records?
Vendor and documentation
- What is the default retention setting, who can change it, and what happens to records when it expires?
- Which security controls, independent assessments, and deletion records can a buyer review, and what do they cover?
ALPR records can include a plate and vehicle image plus time and location. They can carry privacy risks and may be linked with other information. Access to personal information from state motor vehicle records raises separate Driver’s Privacy Protection Act questions. Documentation should explain whether a product accesses, imports, displays, or stores such information and which controls apply. Avoid describing ALPR records as anonymous or assuming every lookup occurs outside the vendor’s system.
Safeguard 8 of 8
Control and document sharing.
IACP safeguard: Share information only with authorized entities for legitimate purposes under written agreements that preserve limits, security, auditing, retention, and restrictions on secondary use; document each disclosure.
Agency buyer
- Which entities can currently access or query agency data, and under which written agreements?
- Who approves, revises, and audits sharing relationships and disclosures?
Vendor and documentation
- Can administrators see and change access by recipient, purpose, or other available restriction, and what are the defaults?
- What sharing and disclosure events are logged, and what happens to access when an agreement ends?
Explain the difference between the agency’s agreement with a partner and permissions the platform can enforce.
Turn answers into usable documentation.
For each vendor question, record where the answer lives: website, product guide, security packet, proposal, contract, or nowhere yet. Have product and security owners verify it. Note whether the capability is automatic, configurable, optional, planned, or outside the product. Give sales and marketing the same approved explanation.
The goal is a clear record of what the product supports and what the agency must decide and do. See the companion Field Note on ALPR buyer questions.
Sources: IACP statement; IACP ALPR resource page; 18 U.S.C. §§ 2721–2725. The questions and interpretations are Word Sleuth’s, not additional IACP requirements.