Police
MEMORANDUM
Date: 3/6/2025
To: Chief Steven McCulley, Atherton Police Department
From: Commander W. Lau, Menlo Park Police Department
MENLO PARK
Re: Atherton Police Department - 2024 ALPR Audit Results Background:
At the request of Commander D. Larsen from the Atherton Police Department, I was engaged to perform an audit on the Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) system's 2024 data, in alignment with the requirements stipulated in their ALPR Policy 469.6 (c). This policy mandates the annual review of the ALPR system by an independent external auditor to ensure compliance and integrity of operations. The primary objective of this audit was to assess the Department's adherence to ALPR Policy 469.6- Accountability, focusing on the legitimate law enforcement purposes for accessing ALPR data.
Commander D. Larsen facilitated the audit process by providing comprehensive ALPR datasets for each month of 2024, organized within Excel spreadsheets.
Methodology:
A systematic approach was adopted for the audit, selecting one month per quarter randomly to evaluate the Atherton Police Department's compliance with policy 469.6. The months selected for in-depth analysis were January, May, July, and December. Each month's data underwent thorough examination to ascertain adherence to the stipulated policy.
Analysis:
January: Analyzed 86 ALPR searches conducted by 10 users, confirming that all searches provided the necessary information, such as incident and/or case numbers, as required by policy 496.6 (d).
May: Analyzed 102 ALPR searches conducted by 10 users, confirming that all searches provided the necessary information, such as incident and/or case numbers, as required by policy 496.6 (d).
July: Analyzed 94 ALPR searches conducted by 10 users, confirming that all searches provided the necessary information, such as incident and/or case numbers, as required by policy 496.6 (d).
December: Analyzed 264 ALPR searches conducted by 13 users, confirming that all searches provided the necessary information, such as incident and/or case numbers, as required by policy 496.6 (d).
Conclusion:
The audit results confirm the Atherton Police Department's full compliance with the ALPR policy's accountability measures. This improvement over the 2023 audit highlights the Department's ongoing Recommendation:
Despite the outstanding audit results, I recommend that the agency revisit policy 469.6(d), which states, "An incident or case number shall be entered for all inquiries in the ALPR system," to incorporate additional language specifying the necessary information required. Notably, out of the 546 searches reviewed, 45 (8%) City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org did not include a case or incident number but did provide sufficient justification, referencing relevant criminal statutes such as illegal dumping, 10851 VC, and 487 PC suspects. I am available to discuss these findings in further detail to support targeted improvements in compliance and training efforts.
Respectfully submitted,
Wilson Lau
Police Commander
Menlo Park Police Department
319-25 8A1
City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel Street Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org