Constitutional Law
Apr. 8, 2026
Courts deciding limits of license plate reader surveillance in California
A growing wave of lawsuits is testing how far police can rely on automated license plate readers, as courts weigh privacy rights against law enforcement claims of effectiveness.
As Jason Burkleo drove to his security job in the affluent Bay Area suburb of Atherton early one morning in April 2021, he could not have predicted that moments later he would be face down on the ground, handcuffed, as police officers pointed their guns at him.
Moments earlier, Burkleo's license plate had been captured by the city's automated license plate reader (ALPR) system, which, according to court filings, erroneously flagged the car as stolen.
The system mi...
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