Council approves sharing license‑plate reader hits with local agencies after privacy debate

St. Charles County Council voted May 22 to authorize intergovernmental agreements (Bill 5495) that allow political subdivisions and their law enforcement partners to receive license‑plate reader 'hits' generated by the county’s LPR network and processed through the Regional Information & Intelligence Center (RIC).

Resident speakers at public comment warned about surveillance and brand‑name systems. Jake Jackson told the council he was “calling on the council to vote no on anything that expands or normalizes the use of Flock cameras,” describing LPRs as a step toward pervasive digital tracking. County officials countered that the system here is county‑owned and limited to plate reads and active investigative hits.

The county’s chief and RIC staff described how the system is used: investigators enter a license plate associated with an active felony or certain class A misdemeanors; when a plate matching that entry passes a reader, the RIC generates a live hit and alerts nearby officers. The chief said the system has produced recent arrests and said there is an audit trail and supervisory review of entries. RIC staff stated that retention for the LPR data is 90 days.

Council discussion emphasized safeguards. Officials stressed the agreement does not add cameras or permit remote historical searches by partner agencies; partners receive only real‑time hits they'd already receive from the RIC. The council approved the agreements by roll call vote.

Ending: With passage, political subdivisions may begin negotiating access to selected readers; the county said access will be limited by agreement and monitored by RIC supervisors.