On October 10, Minnesota's new Legislative Commission on Data Practices and Personal Data Privacy held a hearing on law enforcement's use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and body cameras. The ACLU-MN testified on both issues/
ALPR: Over the last two years, the Minnesota legislature has struggled to find a balance between law enforcement's interest in collecting and keeping location data and the core principle that the government should not invade people's privacy and collect information about citizens' innocent activities just in case they do something wrong. The Legislature is set to tackle this issue again in 2015 and the ACLU-MN will continue to lobby for clear regulations to keep authorities from tracking innocent people.
Body Cameras: The ACLU-MN also testified on the use of body cameras by police. Police in Duluth and Burnsville are already using this technology and Minneapolis will begin a pilot program in the near future. While body cameras present some potential surveillance and privacy concerns, the ACLU-MN supports the use of body cameras as an accountability measure that could help to reestablish the public trust in our peace officers.
Read the testimony we submitted on Body Cameras.
