A law-enforcement backed compromise that would allow cops to store "non-hit" data gleaned from automatic license plate readers for 30 days heads to the House floor.
House reaches compromise on license plate readers, sends bill to floor
The measure would store data for 30 days.
March 24, 2015 at 6:09PM
The House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy Committee on Tuesday passed the revised measure sponsored by Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Vernon Center, with just one dissenter, freshman Rep. Tony Lucero, R-Dayton. Lucero proposed a series of amendments that were rejected by the committee.
Cornish said law enforcement came to him with the idea of 30 days in hopes of a compromise, and he served as facilitator in hopes of getting a bill passed.
Testifying before the committee, Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said police see value in keeping data for more than 30 days, but that law enforcement was willing to compromise for the sake of passing a bill. It was a sentiment reflected by Rep. Dan Schoen, DFL-ST. Paul Park, who works as a Cottage Grove police officer, who said "I'm not happy with 30 days by a long shot," but would still back the bill.
"This bill needs to leave this committee in the shape that it sits before us presently," he said. "I would encourage the authors of any amendments to think about the work that's gone into this. It may not be perfectly great for you, and it's not perfectly great for me."
A Senate version of the bill limits retention to 90 days after narrowly surviving a measure to strip retention to zero. It awaits hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. Last year, the Senate unanimously passed a 90-day retention bill, but was unable to reach a compromise with the House, which passed a zero-day retention bill.
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