Report 2019-118 Recommendation 11 Responses

Report 2019-118: Automated License Plate Readers: To Better Protect Individuals' Privacy, Law Enforcement Must Increase Its Safeguards for the Data It Collects (Release Date: February 2020)

Recommendation #11 To: Fresno Police Department

To ensure that ALPR system access is limited to agency staff who have a need and a right to use ALPR data, by August 2020 Fresno should develop and implement procedures for granting and managing user accounts that include, but are not limited to, requiring that supervisors must approve accounts for users, providing training to users before granting accounts, suspending users after defined periods of inactivity, and requiring regular refresher training for active users and training for users before reactivating previously inactive accounts. Fresno should also ensure that it has procedures in place to deactivate an account immediately for an account holder who separates from the agency or who no longer needs a user account.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2021

Language was added consistent with the audit findings to policy 453. Specifically, sections 453.3 e, f, and h, and section 453.9 are responsive.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

The Fresno Police Department did not provide a one-year response to this recommendation.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

This has been completed. Separated employees are removed upon notification of their separation. The ALPR system automatically deactivates accounts for users who have been inactive for 365 days. Supervisor approval, training language has been incorporated into Policy 453

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented

Fresno has modified its ALPR policy, but the policy does not yet reflect all of the procedures that the recommendation noted. For that reason we have assessed the status as Partially Implemented.

60-Day Agency Response

The Fresno Police Department has every intention on complying with the audit recommendations; however, this crisis has delayed us. Prior to COVID-19, we had already restructured our sharing MOU and were in the process of working on some of the other items due in April; however, this pandemic has caused us to shift our resources.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

We acknowledge the difficulty of the current situation with COVID-19. We look forward to the department's future status reports.

All Recommendations in 2019-118

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.