The department will reduce data retention to 21 days, introduce monthly audits, and prepare to retire four state-funded license plate recognition systems.
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
GREELEY — The Greeley Police Department has changed how it collects, stores, and shares license plate information, introducing new privacy safeguards and oversight requirements for its automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology.
The changes follow a September 8 City Council work session examining the department’s license plate recognition program and drone operations.
Effective September 9, Greeley police stopped sharing license plate data with out-of-state and national sources. The department also reduced its data retention period from 30 days to 21 days.
Police Chief Turk said the changes are intended to strengthen accountability.
“These changes put clear limits on how license plate data is shared and stored, and they give us a regular way to check that every search is done for the right reason,” Turk said.
New Oversight and Search Requirements
Under the revised procedures, the department will conduct monthly audits of license plate searches, reviewing documented reasons and associated case numbers.
Employees using the Flock license plate recognition system must enter a case or call number and select a reason before conducting a search. The department has reduced the available search categories from 43 to six to simplify documentation and improve consistency.
Officers must document their search reason when it occurs, even if a formal case number has not yet been assigned.
State Funding Cuts Affect Additional Cameras
Separately, the department is preparing to discontinue four license plate recognition systems after state funding was reduced.
On September 4, Colorado notified the city that funding for Elsag ALPR equipment would end after 2026 because of reduced resources available through the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority.
The affected equipment includes two pickup-truck-mounted license plate recognition systems and two speed trailers.
Greeley police plan to end its agreement with the Colorado State Patrol and coordinate the equipment’s return or disposal. No transition date has been announced.
The department says the revised policies are intended to balance investigative capabilities with privacy protections and public accountability.
Additional information about police technology and transparency policies is available at GreeleyPD.com