Bill would tightly limit Minnesota license‑plate reader data

Rep. Brad Tabke has introduced HF 4205, a statewide bill to sharply restrict how automatic license plate reader (ALPR) data is collected, stored and shared by Minnesota law enforcement and private vendors, a move aimed squarely at practices exposed during Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. Announced at a St. Paul press conference with the ACLU of Minnesota, the proposal would centralize ALPR data at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, require that any data not tied to an active criminal investigation be deleted within 48 hours, and mandate warrants before out‑of‑state agencies can access Minnesota plate records. ACLU attorney John Boehler said public records show some agencies have essentially opened their LPR systems to federal and out‑of‑state users, resulting in more than 15,000 searches per day in January and February and over 425,000 searches at a single metro agency in six weeks, often without warrants or clear case ties. Residents who monitored ICE during Metro Surge told reporters they believe agents used license‑plate hits to track them to their homes, describing vehicles slowing down to photograph their houses as acts of intimidation. The bill would also impose new transparency and consent rules on private ALPR companies, banning sale or sharing of personal data without consent, a warrant or a court order, and is set for its first hearing in the House Judiciary Finance and Policy Committee.