RI H8077

Municipal law enforcement agencies must obtain city or town council approval following a public hearing before seeking funds for, acquiring, or entering agreements to use automated license plate readers (ALPRs)

ALPRs may only be used to identify stolen vehicles, vehicles linked to wanted/missing/endangered persons, vehicles matching the National Crime Information Center database, and vehicles connected to active violent felony or domestic violence investigations

Captured plate data must be purged within 21 days unless linked to an arrest, citation, missing person case, or active investigation; data cannot be shared for federal immigration enforcement, reproductive/gender-affirming healthcare tracking, or First Amendment surveillance

Officers must be certified by the Department of Public Safety before operating ALPRs, and a positive match alone does not constitute reasonable suspicion for a vehicle stop—visual confirmation and database verification are required first

Law enforcement agencies must maintain monthly public logs showing aggregate data collected, matches identified, reader locations by census tract, complaints received, and erroneous identifications; effective date is January 1, 2027