Summary
The Prescott Valley Police Department strives to safeguard and serve our community while enforcing the law with integrity.  One of Prescott Valley’s main goals is to reduce crime and the fear of crime.  The responsible use of technology is vital to supporting victims of crime and allows law enforcement tools that enhance public safety, assist in investigations, and helps officers respond more effectively to criminal activity.  

Prescott Valley began using license plate reader (LPR) technology in summer 2024. The program supports public-safety and investigative needs by helping locate stolen vehicles, wanted persons, missing or endangered persons, vehicles associated with serious crimes, and vehicles connected to critical incidents.

Current deployment includes 29 stationary LPRs (27 standard LPRs and 2 long-range LPRs) and 2 in-car LPRs. The broader camera deployment also includes 8 fixed video cameras and 2 PTZ video cameras.
Reported hit-and-run results show: 2024 - 106 cases, 19 arrests/citations, 17.9% clearance; 2025 - 119 cases, 33 arrests/citations, 27.73% clearance; and 2026 YTD - 83 cases, 23 arrests/citations, 27.71% clearance.

Policy
Policies clearly explain what the technology does, why it is used, and the safeguards that govern its use. Key points include that ALPR is a vehicle-focused investigative tool, alerts are investigative leads that require officer verification, and the program is intended to support defined public-safety purposes rather than routine monitoring of the public.

The program has previously been discussed with the Town Council during study sessions. Continued public communication can focus on the program’s purpose, current deployment, documented results, safeguards, and responses to community questions.

Community Survey - Understanding Concerns
A citizen-driven community survey was conducted to better understand residents’ questions and concerns regarding the ALPR program. The Department has reviewed the survey results, which were shared with the community via social media. The survey provides an opportunity to identify areas where additional explanation or transparency may be helpful.

Areas of community interest include privacy, data retention and deletion, outside-agency information sharing, auditing and misuse prevention, program cost and funding, future expansion, and public oversight. The Town is also considering the possibility of a citizen review board as an additional oversight option.

Results and Community Benefit
Documented local examples demonstrate how the technology can support officers and investigators when timely vehicle information is important. Examples include a shots-fired investigation that resulted in a felony arrest, locating a missing vulnerable adult, locating a person wanted on a manslaughter warrant, recovering a stolen French bulldog, and safely locating a runaway juvenile in a stolen vehicle.

These examples, together with the hit-and-run clearance data, provide practical context for how the technology supports victims of crime, investigative follow-up, recovery of stolen property, and efforts to locate people who may be in danger.

Safeguards
Program safeguards include documented law-enforcement or public-safety purposes for searches, trained and authorized users, officer verification of alerts before enforcement action, time-limited retention of routine non-hit detections, controls on information sharing, and consequences for misuse.

Oversight includes Audit Assistance through the system, a yearly IT audit, and Lieutenant review for abnormalities. These layers are intended to help identify unusual activity, verify appropriate system use, and support accountability.
The program also emphasizes transparency through public information, responses to community questions, documented outcomes, and continued review of safeguards as the technology and program evolve.

Purpose of Study Session Presentation
The purpose of this study session is to provide a thorough overview of license plate reader technology, including how the technology is used, its role in supporting public safety, and the safeguards and oversight associated with its use. The study session also provides an opportunity to address questions and concerns related to the technology that have been brought forward by the members of the community. 

 

N/A Discussion Only; No Action Requested.

N/A Discussion Only; No Action Requested.

N/A Discussion Only; No Action Requested.