SB 232 — AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS WITH AUTOMATED NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

232115 February Session, 2024 LCOSenate Bill No.

1488232 ReferredSenate, toMarch 26, 2024 The Committee on PUBLICPublic SAFETYSafety ANDand SECURITYSecurity Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(PS)GASTON ANof ACTthe ESTABLISHING23rd ADist., GRANTChairperson PROGRAMof TOthe PROVIDECommittee LAWon ENFORCEMENTthe UNITSpart WITHof AUTOMATEDthe NUMBERSenate, PLATEthat RECOGNITIONthe SYSTEMS.bill ought to pass.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS WITH AUTOMATED NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS.

and (2)"Law enforcement unit" has the same meaning as provided in section 7-294a of the general stat.tes (b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall, within available appropriations, administer a program to provide grantsSB232 to/ lawFile enforcement units to obtain automated number plate LCO 1488 \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00232-R011 of 2 SB.docx Bill No.

232115 recognition1 systems.SB232 File No.

115 grants to law enforcement units to obtain automated number plate recognition systems.

Section 1 from passage New section PS Joint Favorable LCOSB232 1488/ {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00232-R01-File 2No. of 2 SB.docx }

115 2 SB232 File No.

115 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Various Municipal Police Potential See Below See Below Departments Savings Explanation The bill, which requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to administer a program to provide grants to law enforcement units to obtain automated number plate recognition system, results in a potential cost to the state and potential savings to various municipal police departments in FY 25 and FY 26, to the extent that grants are awarded.

Such potential cost is contingent upon funding being made available for the grant program.

It is expected that DESPP can administer this program with existing staff.

Automated number plate recognitionsystemscanvary widely incost 1The bill does not allocate funds from any source.

Historically, DESPP has received funds for similar programs from a variety of sources including appropriations, bond authorizations, and federal funds (including ARPA).

If DESPP receives state funding, it is assumed to be a general fund appropriation or bond authorization.

SB232 / File No.

115 3 SB232 File No.

115 depending on the requirements of the law enforcement unit.

Cameras, if purchased outright, typically cost about $20,000 each but can range from $10,000 to $40,000.

Alternatively, the cameras can be leased for about $2,000 to $4,000 each per year.

For both options, there are additional ongoing maintenance and data storage expenses.

A grant awarded to a law enforcement unit covering the initial purchase of a system with 10 cameras will cost about $200,000.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to funding being made available for the grant program.

2The number of cameras that a law enforcement unit requires will vary widely depending on the unit's jurisdiction and may range from about five to over 100.

SB232 / File No.

115 4 SB232 File No.

115 OLR Bill Analysis SB 232 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS WITH AUTOMATED NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS.

SUMMARY Beginning with FY 25,thisbillrequiresthe Department ofEmergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to, annually and within available appropriations, administer a program to provide grants tolaw enforcement units to obtain “automated number plate recognition systems” (i.e., systems of at least one mobile or fixed electronic device that can record data on, or take photographs of, a vehicle or its number plate and compare the collected data and photographs to existing law enforcement databases for investigative purposes).

Under the bill, a “law enforcement unit” is any state or municipal agency or department (or tribal agency or department created and governed under a memorandum of agreement) whose primary functions include enforcing criminal or traffic laws;

preserving public order;

protecting life and property;

or preventing, detecting, or investigating crime.

By October 1, 2024, the department must create eligibility criteria for awarding the grants, develop application forms and deadlines, and post a description of the program on DESPP’s website that includes the criteria, forms, and deadlines.