The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen:
"Just hours after we announced the results of our statewide ALPR survey publicly, including pointing out that the Des Moines Police Department had not provided documents from our open records request, the University of Iowa’s Technology Law Clinic finally received the documents.
"While we're glad to receive the documents, we're disappointed that the state's largest police department did not respond to this important request in a more timely manner. The Clinic made the request on September 9, 2025, more than three months ago. Much smaller police departments, lacking the resources Des Moines has, were able to respond in a timely and much more transparent way than Des Moines did. The Clinic had also told the department that the results would be published in our upcoming report and that if we did not get the documents in time, we would have to include wording that Des Moines had not complied by the publication date.
"It's ironic that one of the many concerns about law enforcement using ALPRs is that they are too often not open and transparent about how the cameras and data are being used. Des Moines police's problematic response for this report only compounds those concerns.
"Because the data from the state's largest police department is so important, we have created a special addendum to the report. Key takeaways include:
- Des Moines has a 5-year contract with Motorola Solutions for automated license plate readers. The contract is for just over $1.5 million.
- The invoices indicate that the Des Moines Police Department has purchased 130 ALPR camera systems. In an email, the City said they have 120 cameras installed on police cars, as well as 2 stationary ALPR cameras.
Des Moines also provided a copy of the city’s ALPR policy and one record from an audit indicating that follow-up was needed for certain searches to ensure that justifications and case numbers are recorded."
An addendum added to the report after its release can be viewed here.
The Des Moines Police Department's documents released regarding their ALPRs can be viewed here.
The report about Iowa ALPRs can be viewed here.
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