Who watches my town? The cat already knows.

How these cameras work

What an ALPR camera is

An automated license plate reader is a camera, usually on a pole at a road or junction, that photographs passing vehicles and reads their plates automatically. Many towns rent them from private vendors.

What it records

The plate, a photo of the vehicle, and the time, place and direction it passed.

How long it's kept

Set by local policy and contracts. Thirty days is common; some places keep data longer.

Who can search it

Usually the local police department, and sometimes other agencies through shared networks.

How to learn more

Your city council's minutes, the police department's ALPR policy, and public-records requests are the official routes.

Camera locations come from public reports and records requests and may be incomplete.