House Bill 4981 Summary

• Establishes a new division in the Michigan Vehicle Code governing the use of Registration Plate Reading (RPR) devices by law enforcement agencies.

• Defines RPR devices as hand-held, stationary, or vehicle-mounted systems using automated cameras and optical character recognition to read and compare registration plates against specified lists in real-time.

• Restricts RPR use to nine authorized purposes including identifying stolen vehicles, wanted persons, missing persons, individuals with suspended licenses, criminal suspects, and conducting canvasses in major crimes.

• Requires law enforcement agencies to purge RPR records within 48 hours of collection, except records related to arrests, citations, protective custody, or missing person cases must be retained until final case disposition.

• Grants the Attorney General authority to audit RPR usage, investigate misuse complaints, and seek injunctions or confiscation of devices used in repeated violation of the statute.