Bill to limit vehicle-tracking technology fails in State Senate

The state Senate failed to pass a bill that would have placed restrictions on vehicle-tracking technology to protect people’s privacy.

Lawmakers on Wednesday rejected SB893 by Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo. The bill would have banned agencies from selling data collected from automatic license plate reader systems.

The technology is primarily employed by law enforcement agencies that use the license plate readers to track criminals. For example, Hill said the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department was able to recover 495 stolen vehicles in the first month of using the system.

But Hill said there have been instances of abuse, including a police officer who tracked a woman he met on duty.

Law enforcement groups expressed concern that the bill would have hurt their ability to fight crime.