Additional license plate reading technology that will give Baltimore Police quick access to new kinds of data on a driver – going back 10 years – has been approved by the Board of Estimates, despite public objections that the additional capability will lead to abuses and loss of privacy.

The $1.46 million contract between the BPD and Thomson Reuters CLEAR gives officers the ability to pull up a decade’s worth of location history and activity history, cross referencing it with additional commercial and other sources and even “drawing connections between cars that happen to be within 1/4 mile of each other,” according to documentation submitted as part of the request.

Appearing yesterday before the five-member spending board, Col. Jack Herzog said the new CLEAR license plate reader (LPR) capability will “give us information that we’re able to use to build out leads.”

Officers would have access to information, including data gathered by tow truck companies and repossession companies, he said, adding “those reads are from out in the public where there is a no expectation of privacy, where these reads are being obtained from on public roadways.”

“CLEAR is much more than just LPR,” he continued. “It provides us information about arrest records on individuals, addresses, phone number and other publicly available information that gives us a one-stop shop to be able to utilize that information to further our investigations.”

Voting yes: Mayor Brandon Scott, City Solicitor Ebony Thompson and Public Works Director Matthew Garbark.

Abstaining: City Council President Zeke Cohen and Deputy Comptroller Erika M. McClammy, sitting in for Comptroller Bill Henry.

“I am abstaining on this item, as there is legislation before the city council, which has something of a nexus to this item,” Cohen said, without explaining further.

Possible use by ICE and Stalkers

A series of speakers appeared before the board, all in opposition to the contract, which is effective through January 2030. All opposed giving BPD the additional additional surveillance power because they didn’t trust the agency to use it responsibly.

“We’re dealing with two community members that were killed by BPD,” said Kenisha Daly, who also raised concern about the use of the technology by federal agents currently conducting immigration sweeps in Baltimore and across the country.

“There’s so many emotions, ” Daley said. “Like, we’re already fighting the ICE struggle and having people getting dragged out of their homes. Now we’re giving them more tools to harass people?”

• Expansion of BPD’s license plate reader capability is dangerous – and flying in under the radar (3/4/26)

While the information available through CLEAR may, technically, be publicly available, Karien Laurent said, she regarded the scope of it in the hands of police as oppressive.

“There’s a big difference between being seen in public and then someone being able to pull up records to know where you were every moment in public over the last 10 years,” Laurent said. “I don’t really think that the BPD has shown that they have the trust of the community to have that kind of power.”

“There’s a big difference between being seen in public and then someone being able to pull up records to know where you were every moment in public over the last 10 years”  – Karien Laurent.

She also noted the history of police officers in Colorado and elsewhere who have using license plate reader technology to stalk wives and girlfriends.

“I don’t think they should have this – even if it’s not their data, even if they’re not creating the data,” Laurent continued. ” I don’t think that they have proven to us that they would be responsible stewards if they had access to it.”

ZaQuane Dozier also brought up the specter of ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents using the technology as part of the harsh Trump administration crackdown on immigrants.

“We have to worry about ICE abducting our community members,” Dozier said. “And I would rather Baltimore City police not have modern tools to further violate Baltimore City residents’ rights and civil rights and liberties as well.”

Concluding his remarks, the 11th District resident said, “It just opens a lot of doors that will lead to a lot of people getting hurt.”