By DAVID KRUEGER
Public Information Officer
Los Alamos County

I’m writing to provide some clarification regarding the Op-Ed “Don’t Join The Flock” (link).

Our data collection and retention policy for the Police Department’s automated license plate readers (ALPR) is clear that all data collected from those cameras are secured on local servers and solely for official use by the Los Alamos Police Department.

Only Evidence Technicians have access to the data. Everyone who accesses the data is logged. Evidence Technicians review requests to ensure access to the data is approved only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. The data gathered by ALPR are license plates and views of the vehicle that only provide description of the vehicle’s make and model. The technology in no way has any capability to identify people within vehicles, nor is the data available “for use and scrutiny by any number of legitimate or illegitimate entities nationwide or globally” as the Op-Ed claims.

In addition, State Bill 40, which goes into effect on July 1, 2026, further regulates ALPR data. It “sets forth prohibited uses for data obtained: ALPR data may not be shared if it could be used to assist immigration enforcement, to investigate protected reproductive or gender-affirming health care, or to penalize constitutionally protected activity (assembly, speech, petition).” It reinforced that ALPR data is excluded from IPRA as it is considered confidential. And SB40 requires annual reporting to New Mexico Department of Public Safety.

Beyond ALPR, the County does operate a variety of cameras. There are security cameras to protect public assets, traffic cameras that aid in making traffic flows across the County as efficiently as possible, and the popular live-stream cameras at several locations that help commuters plan their travels.