State Representatives Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti) and Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) today introduced a plan intended to regulate the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in Michigan. The introduction of this bipartisan legislation coincides with Data Privacy Week, designed to spread awareness about digital privacy.

ALPRs are small, mobile or mounted surveillance cameras that capture every vehicle license plate passing by, sometimes capturing hundreds of plates per minute, and their use is currently unregulated in Michigan.

“Michiganders deserve to know that new technology is being used responsibly, not in ways that invade privacy or erode public confidence,” said Wozniak. “These bills protect the privacy of Michigan motorists while setting clear, commonsense rules that help maintain trust between law enforcement and the public.”

Information amassed by ALPRs can be used to track individuals, such as what friends, doctors, protests, meetings, or religious institutions a person visits. Without clear limits on acceptable use, retention, and sharing, ALPR systems risk shifting from targeted investigative tools into broad, ongoing tracking systems that monitor everyday people who are not suspected of wrongdoing.

“We can support effective policing while still demanding safeguards that protect civil liberties,” said Wilson. “This legislation creates clear limits on how ALPR data is collected, stored, and shared, ensuring these tools are used to improve public safety, not to enable routine mass surveillance.”

If enacted, House bills 5492 and 5493 would do the following:

• Define what an ALPR / ALPR system is
• Give commonsense guardrails for their legitimate uses
• Place a limit on how long collected data can be held
• Establish transparency and accountability measures, such as publicly available reports on the use and efficacy of ALPR systems.

The bills have been referred to the House Committee on Judiciary for further consideration.