APD’s real time crime center
We want to provide real facts on how the Anchorage Police Department uses camera technologies and the critical privacy protections already in place.
It’s important to know that municipal use of facial recognition technology was officially banned by the Anchorage Assembly in 2023. APD’s technology does not use facial recognition and APD does not use Flock cameras.
Instead, APD uses a human-operated Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). The RTCC acts as a central hub, helping officers coordinate responses during active calls and generate investigative leads, safeguarding first responders and helping to locate suspects or missing people faster.
Inside the real time crime center at apd
-
The ALPR technology, also known as License Plate Recognition (LPR), allows for the automated detection and number recognition of license plates. It is the policy of the Anchorage Police Department (Department) to utilize ALPR technology to capture digital license plate data and images while recognizing the established right to privacy in Alaska. Data captured by ALPRs serve two purposes; first, the immediate detection of stolen or wanted vehicles, vehicles associated with missing persons, vehicles and/or vehicles owners associated with violent crime investigations, and vehicles and/or vehicles owners involved in drug distribution; and second, as an investigative tool during the course of an investigation. Captured data will only be stored for a limited amount of time before it is deleted.
-
Dash cameras on patrol cars automatically scan license plates that are in public view, matching them against active law enforcement lists for stolen vehicles or missing person alerts. LPRs only log plate numbers and location coordinates. All scanned data is automatically deleted after 14 days. Search data is limited only to employees who are authorized to access the data. All access is audited.
Click HERE to view the full policy.
-
This footage is controlled by the traffic engineering department. It must be manually reviewed by an APD Officer.
Privacy Controls: Every 3 to 5 days, this footage is overwritten with new footage and is not stored unless it is collected as evidence.
-
Safe Anchorage enables the people of Anchorage to help keep their community safe and it involves two levels.
Leval 1: This is a voluntary registery of security cameras to help the RTCC identify area cameras during an incident. It’s a voluntary program and the owner keeps control at all times. APD must obtain permission to access video.
Level 2: Businesses can take community security one step further by giving the Anchorage Police Department access to a camera feed in case of a nearby emergency. This integration is accomplished thorugh a CORE device that can be plugged into a system.
Please visit https://safeanchorage.org/ for additional information.