Where does the data from automated license plate readers in the City of Lebanon go?
This is an investigative series seeking to answer that question. The Record wanted to find answers to questions the monthly audits do not answer, specifically: where the scan data ends up, who has access to the data, and why there are only a few arrests out of numerous scans taken each month.
According to the September monthly audit on ALPR data released by the LPD on October 1, there were 1,980,911 Flock scans, and 31 Axon scans taken in September. During an interview with Chief of Police Jerry Harrison, he said the city has more Flock cameras than Axon cameras, the primary reason for the difference in reads.
As of October 2026, Harrison said the City of Lebanon has 10 Flock LPRs that are operable, one Axon LPR that is operable and a second that is currently inoperable, and 12 in-car Axon LPRs.
Additionally, the September audit says there was one arrest/recovery from the 1.9 million scans taken, and 341 searches of those scans. Lebanon community members have expressed concerns about where the rest of the data is going.
“So, what that’s indicating is, this thing captured 1.9 million images, but there are 341 searches,” Harrison said, referring to the “at a glance” section at the top of the audit. This means out of the nearly 2 million scans, the LPD is actively going into the system and conducting 341 searches that could potentially be linked to criminal activity. “That tells you that the vast majority of those images are never accessed at all, they’re just getting deleted, and that’s over every 30th day,” he said.
For instance, scans that are taken on November 1 would be deleted on December 1, and scans that are taken on November 2 would be deleted on December 2, and so forth. According to this information, the vast majority of the LPR data is automatically deleted without ever being reviewed.
Per Governor Mike Kehoe’s Executive Order 26-18, ALPR scan data must be deleted after being stored in the systems for a maximum of 30 days. Departments can choose to lower the maximum amount of time they retain the data, but
it cannot go over 30 days. Harrison said, “That’s automated, and no one can do anything about it.”
The only exception to this rule is when LPR scans become part of an active investigation, Harrison said. The data would be pulled from the system where it had been automatically stored and preserved as evidence in the Lebanon Police Department’s (LPD) evidence system. “Instead of saving a physical item, you’re saving a digital item,” he said.
The Flock Safety website says after a scan is placed in a local police department’s evidence system, Flock no longer has access to it, and it therefore leaves the automated deletion system. If the scan data in the PD’s evidence system has not been accessed for 30 days, the data will continue to be preserved in the PD’s system indefinitely, or until the department deletes it.
The September audit also shows that there are 676 verified partner agencies the data is shared with. Harrison explained that the LPD shares their ALPR data with, at the time of the September audit 676 agencies, though that number currently sits at 685 according to the October audit. He said the LPD receives shared data from other agencies as well, and shared LPR data can be accessed by any agency. Most of the agencies Lebanon shares data with are comprised of police departments, sheriff’s offices, departments of public safety, departments of corrections and drug task forces, and a few universities and airports.
Harrison said that sharing purposes are for locating vehicles that travel outside of the city or state, and that there have been several cases where an individual is from Lebanon but has been located elsewhere with LPR aid.
“There is research out there that says it’s impactful, particularly on certain categories of crime, it’s impactful. Anything that is tied to a car, this has potential impact,” Harrison said. Specifically, Harrison said LPRs help with instances of shoplifting, leaving the scene of car crashes, and gas drive offs.
“I guess my point is, you need to be careful and honest with how you’re assessing the data,” he said. “And so yeah, we may have five cases and one arrest in September, but that doesn’t show the whole picture of what’s happening with Flock, with LPR.”
The next ALPR story will describe a lockout feature launched by Flock and Harrison’s response to the city surveys about police presence in town.
