NAMPA, Idaho — A new bill in Idaho aims to establish basic guidelines for how police departments can use license plate readers — a move that could affect drivers statewide but will have little impact on Nampa's Integrated Command Center.
The proposed legislation, introduced by Republican Senator Doug Okuniewicz, not only codifies statewide standards for the use of license plate readers but also includes a significant change for Idaho drivers: the elimination of the requirement for a front license plate if a vehicle does not have a front bracket.
In response to the bill, Nampa's Integrated Command Center Supervisor Chris Krajsa stated, "Yeah, so we essentially do all of that right now. There's no changes that we would have to make to that because we already have the checks and balances and all the things that are in place in that bill."
Nampa's technology already routinely scans license plates, and the city has its own limitations on data storage — 14 days for traffic camera data and 60 days for license plate readers. These existing practices align closely with the proposed legislation, which does not mandate any data storage limitations.
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford also weighed in, sharing his thoughts in public comments at the statehouse. "That's great because it mirrors our own policies, and we actually have stricter policies than what would be codified here," he said.
The bill was introduced on Tuesday and still needs to pass through the full House and Senate. If enacted, Idaho would join 19 other states without front license plate requirements.
Discussing the importance of front plates, Krajsa noted, "They can be very important because sometimes we have readers that read, they were reading the front license plates. We've gone to the back because of the fact that some people don't have those on, but they are very important."
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