· Rhode Island · State action
Rhode Island keeps its statewide pause on new license plate readers and releases a model policy for police
Gov. Dan McKee's administration on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, released a statewide model policy and a template data-sharing agreement for local police departments that use automated license plate readers (ALPRs), and said the state will keep its pause on new ALPR installations in place while legislation is drafted to write safeguards into state law, according to the governor's office. The model policy was written by the Rhode Island State Police with the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission. Per the governor's office, it bars using the technology for immigration enforcement, for investigations involving reproductive or gender-affirming health care, for harassment or discrimination, or for conduct that is not a crime under Rhode Island law; requires data to be deleted within 30 days unless preserved for a valid law enforcement purpose; requires each department to keep a public transparency portal (camera count, retention, which agencies have access, and system usage), quarterly audits and user training; and restricts sharing with outside agencies to formal agreements. What's Up Newp notes that the policy is voluntary: the administration is urging departments to adopt it, but nothing requires them to unless the General Assembly acts. In an Oct. 9 letter, the ACLU of Rhode Island and three other groups had told State Police the review sought no meaningful public input.
Sources
- Rhode Island Governor's Office (Oct. 19)
- Statewide model ALPR policy (PDF, via Rhode Island Current)
- What's Up Newp (Oct. 19)
- NBC 10 WJAR (Oct. 19)
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