Vernal City Police Department has responded to questions about cameras used by their agency and what they are used for. The Vernal Police Department shared on Wednesday that they use Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology to help locate stolen vehicles, assist with missing person cases, and support other legitimate criminal investigations. If a license plate number is entered into the system and it is read on one of the cameras in Vernal and beyond, then Vernal PD is alerted. “ALPR cameras capture license plate information only and do not use facial recognition or identify the driver or passengers of a vehicle,” shares Wednesday’s announcement. “Use of the system is limited by Utah law and department policy. Searches must have a lawful purpose, are documented and electronically logged, receive weekly supervisory review, and are automatically deleted after nine months.” Vernal Police Chief Michael Gledhill clarified with Evans Family Media that they do not constantly monitor their cameras and that these are different from flock cameras, though there are local privately owned flock cameras in the community. “If we needed to access a local private company’s camera data we would have to get a search warrant signed by a judge,” explains Chief Gledhill. Simply put, Vernal Police Department’s goal is to use the license plate reader technology “responsibly to improve public safety while protecting privacy and constitutional rights.”
