LPR Privacy Policy
LPR Privacy Policy
LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION PROGRAM PRIVACY POLICE
Central Washington University- Central Washington University (CWU) utilizes vehicle license plate recognition (LPR) hardware and software for its parking system.
- LPR and pay-by-plate technology specifically connect campus-parking permits to individual vehicle license plates.
- These technology improvements significantly enhance and simplify customer experience, enforcement, and parking lot utilization analysis.
- LPR data is collected in the CWU parking lots, parking areas, and other areas that CWU is or may become responsible for (see Campus Parking Map here).
- LPR data is collected by cameras positioned on a mobile vehicle-mounted system.
- Any “LPR vehicle” is driven by trained personnel in parking locations throughout the CWU campus. LPR vehicles can be active 24 hours daily, 7 days per week.
- The LPR system captures two photos of observed vehicles:
- Context photo of the vehicle and its immediate surroundings and
- Photo of the license plate.
- Typically, these photos are taken from the rear of the vehicle, although there are occasions where a photo is taken from the front (e.g. when a car is backed into a parking space).
- The photos are not of a resolution that allows identification of the vehicle occupants.
- Along with the photographic data, the system also records the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and date/time information of the observation.
- Further software processing of the vehicle license plate image generates an alphanumeric version of the vehicle license plate number which is also stored with the parking LPR record.
- The intended use of data collected by the LPR system is for parking activities and enforcement.
- LPR data is used to determine a vehicle’s parking permit status and support the issuance of a parking citation if needed.
- The data may be used by the CWU Police Department in assisting with immediate or on-going safety concerns and conducting specific security investigations; and compulsory law enforcement investigations.
- Any use of the data for purposes outside of these stated purposes must be detailed and approved in writing through administrative channels by the Chief of Police.
- Data collected by the LPR system not resulting in parking enforcement action or not part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation may be retained up to 21 days.
- Statistical lot utilization data (generic vehicle counts) is retained indefinitely for parking program planning and operations.
- Data resulting in parking enforcement action is retained with the citation (ticket) records according to established CWU data retention policies.
- Data associated with an ongoing security and/or law enforcement investigation is retained until the investigation is completed or as directed by investigators or courts and/or in conformance with CWU data retention policies.
- Access to records created and maintained by the LPR system is restricted to trained CWU parking personnel performing their duties and CWU Police Department law enforcement personnel.
- All personnel with access to the system use unique identifiers and passwords to access records and all login, record additions, and other activity is logged.
- Access to the system by others is prohibited.
- Note that data may be subject to the Washington Public Records Act and subject to legally recognized redaction.
- Students, faculty and staff with a CWU parking account may view information we have about their own individual vehicles at any time by logging onto their parking account.
- CWU will notify the public of its LPR data collection activities and policies via:
- Posting of this policy on the CWU Police and Public Safety website
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