Buffalo PD Automatic License Plate Readers

To Whom It May Concern:

Under the provisions of the New York Freedom of Information Law, Article 6 of the Public Officers Law, I hereby request a copy of all records or portions thereof pertaining to, or containing the following:

1. All records regarding your policies, practices, and procedures for procuring and using automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, and for storing, accessing, and sharing data obtained through ALPR technology;

2. All records regarding the procurement of ALPR technology, including:
a. sources of funds used to pay for ALPR technology;
b. invoices for the purchase of ALPR technology;
c. local government approval for any ALPR purchase;
d. interactions with vendors, suppliers, and potential suppliers of ALPR technology, including materials and fact sheets supplied by vendors describing their products;

3. All records regarding the use of ALPR technology, including
a. what types of data are obtained;
b. number of license plates scanned and/or read in a given time period (day, month, year, etc.);
c. the number of ALPR units or systems acquired;
d. the number of vehicles equipped with ALPR technology;
e. for stationary deployments, the number and physical location of ALPR units;
f. the technical capabilities of ALPR units;

4. All records regarding the storage of data obtained using ALPR technology, including
a. what types of data are stored for any period longer than an hour;
b. how long data is stored;
c. when data must be discarded;
d. how many individual license plate scan records your agency currently stores;

5. All records regarding access to ALPR data, including
a. the legal justification required before an individual accesses ALPR data;
b. the purposes for which the data may be accessed;
c. purposes for which data may NOT be accessed;
d. who may access the data, what procedures they must go through to obtain access, and who must authorize access;
e. the existence or non-existence of a system that records who accesses the data and when the data is accessed;

6. All records regarding the sharing of data obtained through ALPR technology, including
a. what type of data is shared;
b. which databases your agency puts collected ALPR data into;
c. third parties, governmental or private, that may access your agency's ALPR data, including what procedures third parties must go through to access the data and any restrictions placed on third parties regarding further sharing of your ALPR data;
d. any agreements to share ALPR data with outside agencies, corporations, or other entities;

7. All records regarding obtaining ALPR data from third parties, including which databases your agency can access;

8. All training materials used to instruct members of your agency in ALPR deployment, data management, or operation of automated records systems that contain ALPR data to which any member of your agency has access, including regional or shared ALPR databases.

I understand that there is a fee of $0.25 per page for duplication of the records requested; however, this request is a matter of public concern and the materials requested will be made available to the public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not being made for commercial usage. As such, I request that any fees associated with providing requested records be waived. I also request that documents be provided in electronic format if at all possible. Doing so would eliminate the need to copy the materials and provides another basis for my requested fee waiver.

If, however, such a waiver is denied, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request.

As you know, the Freedom of Information Law requires that an agency respond to a request within five (5) business days of receipt of such request. Therefore, I would appreciate a response as soon as possible.

If you determine that some but not all of the information is exempt from disclosure and that you intend to withhold it, I ask that you redact it for the time being and make the rest available as requested. In any event, please provide a notification citing the legal authorities on which you rely if you determine that any or all of the information is exempt and will not be disclosed.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter; I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Sincerely,

Robert Galbraith

To Whom It May Concern:

Please find enclosed a check for $5.75 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.

Thank you.