Granby License Plate Scanning-Data Collection

License Plate Scanning in Area:  A white Ford with 2 license plate scanners mounted on the trunk lid has been prowling Granby, E. Granby and Simsbury the past few weeks, on streets, store parking lots and school parking lots.  Once I saw a Granby PO operator.  Who owns the vehicle and the collected data, what is it being used for and what is the retention policy?  State legislators –and ACLU- have expressed concern about these issues or lack of them.  It was likened to warrantless vehicle tracking ("retroactive surveillance without probable cause,").  I haven't read anything about Granby buying or participating in a data collection program.   Maine has a 3 week retention limit; New Hampshire bans the scanners.  Using this 'internal database' also skirts CT State Police and federal documentation requirements when license plates are checked on their computers. 

"By allowing the police to keep them [the license plate data] indefinitely and then searching them however they want ... it's like retroactive surveillance without probable cause," said David J. McGuire, the American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney who requested the data.

"We know that this is a legitimate law-enforcement tool," he said. "What we're saying is that it should be regulated and there should be some oversight."