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- Get a Police Record Check
- Criminal Record Check
- Judicial Matters Check
- Vulnerable Sector Check
- Request Your Police Reports
- Freedom of Information Request
- Request a Paid Duty Officer
- Bicycle Registration
- Business with Toronto Police
- Parking Enforcement
- Report a Traffic Collision
- Towing
- Report illegal parking
- Resource Centre
- Form Centre
- Understanding Alarm Response
- Victim & Witness Resources
- Attempt/Threaten Suicide Information on CPIC
- Fingerprint & Photograph Destruction
- Vulnerable Persons Registry
- Book A Divisional Community Room
- Get Your Court Documents
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Automatic Licence Plate Recognition
- Toronto Police Service
- Use of Technology
- Automatic Licence Plate Recognition
Toronto Police Service uses Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology to receive real-time alerts in patrol vehicles to arrest wanted criminals, recover stolen vehicles, locate missing persons and to investigate serious and violent crimes in support of community safety and well-being.
All data collected is secure, never sold to third parties, and used solely for law enforcement purposes by authorized personnel only. The Service’s use of ALPR adheres to strict rules of limited access and operational protocols that have been subject to a Privacy Impact Assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is being detected?
An image of the licence plate and vehicle as well as the text of the plate and the date, time and location of the vehicle.
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How long is the data stored?
"Read” records are stored in a database for 7 days. Read records are highly restricted, and retention requirements are under continual review.
“Hit” records (anything that is on a hot list, i.e., stolen vehicle) are retained for 365 days and then purged.
Note: If a hit record is converted into evidence for a case, it will be retained with the other case-related material until that case is purged.
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What is a read record?
Read records or Reads refer to a scanned licence plate that at the time of being scanned does not match a plate on a hotlist, or where a match is inaccurate.
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Are people detected by the technology?
No, the system does not have facial recognition or the ability to differentiate people based on gender or race.
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Who provides the technology?
The system is provided by Axon.
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Who uses this data?
The data is used for law enforcement purposes only and owned by the Toronto Police Service. It is never sold to third parties.
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Has there been any consultations with the Privacy Commissioner on the Service’s use of ALPR?
The Service was engaged in 2024 by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s (IPC) during its ALPR guideline review. The Service considers the latest IPC guidelines when conducting its Privacy Impact Assessments.
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Who can search the data?
Only limited and specifically trained members of the Toronto Police Service can search the data. All data searches require a valid search reason or case number and must follow the established guardrails. ALPR activity is captured in audit logs and is currently stored indefinitely.
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What is a hotlist?
A list of known licence plates and vehicles of interest, which are stolen, wanted for or potentially associated with unlawful activity or missing persons. These lists are created by the Toronto Police Service or another agency such as the Ministry of Transportation, who provide data on suspended licences.
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What are the hotlist categories?
Amber Alert | Armed Robbery | Assault | BOLO Most Wanted | Carjacking | Hit and Run | Homicide | Missing Person | Stolen Vehicle
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How many vehicles are outfitted with ALPR technology?
Over 560 vehicles have the technology installed. This can result in over 1.25 million scanned licence plates every day in Toronto alone.