Home Improvement Chains Deploy License Plate Readers in Store Parking Lots

Home improvement retailers have installed automated license plate reader systems in parking areas at some stores across the country. The technology uses cameras to capture images of vehicles and license plates along with the time, date and location.

Stores in California, Texas and Connecticut are among those with the systems now in place. A camera mounted near the entrance to a store in Newington, Conn. was recently documented by local news. Public records showed that a Texas sheriff’s office had searchable access to data from hundreds of license plate reader cameras tied to stores through a surveillance firm.

The companies’ privacy policies describe how the systems operate. The technology can create searchable records showing where vehicles travel, when they arrive and how often they visit certain locations. Privacy advocates have raised concerns that the data could be accessed by law enforcement, hackers, private investigators or misused internally.

Connecticut lawmakers recently approved legislation that imposes new regulations on license plate reader systems, including limits on data storage time.

A class action lawsuit filed last week in California federal court alleges that one of the chains was running a covert surveillance system using the technology and feeding that information to a database accessed by law enforcement. One retailer confirmed it uses license plate reader technology in parking areas at some stores.

The company said it has had parking area security cameras in place for many years. The retailer stated that access to the data is limited to trained asset protection employees, information security staff and select contractors who maintain the systems.

It retains the data for up to 90 days in most cases unless needed for an active investigation. The company’s online policy states that it does not sell or share collected license plate information with third parties.

A constitutional historian and criminal defense lawyer told The Post that the use of surveillance cameras on private property is probably legal. The lawyer said constitutional issues become more complicated once companies share data with law enforcement.

The key issue is the relationship with law enforcement and what these companies do with the data in their relationship with law enforcement, the lawyer added. Major retailers already rely heavily on surveillance and artificial intelligence to track suspected shoplifters over time before involving police.

If they have somebody on camera enough times, they will then call law enforcement and bring them in. Companies have the right to do whatever they want to do on their private property, though legal fights could emerge if the systems are used in discriminatory ways or evolve into broader forms of invasive surveillance.

The growing use of automated license plate readers by private retailers comes as stores across the country grapple with organized retail theft rings and repeat shoplifting crews. Police in Connecticut recently busted a theft ring that allegedly operated across nine states.

Retailers view the systems as a way to identify vehicles tied to repeat thefts, track suspects entering and leaving parking lots and assist police investigations after crimes occur.