ACLU of Southern California & EFF v. Superior Court
The ACLU of Southern California and Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the City of Los Angeles under California’s Public Records Act for records generated by the law enforcement agency’s use of automated license plate readers. This case concerns whether information collected by police using “automated license plate readers” – high-speed cameras that automatically scan and record the license plate numbers and time, date and location of every passing vehicle without suspicion of criminal activity – constitute law enforcement “records of . . . investigations” that are permanently exempt from disclosure. We argued that the agencies proposed a definition of “records of . . . investigations” that would expand the exemption beyond recognition. The proposed expansion of the exemption contravenes California’s constitution and would hamper journalists’ ability to use the PRA to gather news and report important stories about law enforcement.