Rekor Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: REKR) announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent for a method of storing automatic license plate recognition and vehicle data based on the severity of suspected criminal activity.

The patent covers technology that allows law enforcement agencies to retain data according to investigatory relevance rather than fixed time periods. Traditional ALPR systems store data for predetermined durations such as 30, 60, or 90 days regardless of whether the information relates to violent crimes or minor traffic violations.

Under Rekor's patented system, data connected to active warrants, violent felonies, Amber alerts, or real-time safety threats can be retained for longer periods. Information not related to crimes or involving lesser offenses may be subject to shorter retention periods based on community consultation and law enforcement policies.

"Current nationwide ALPR systems operate under a 'dragnet' model, collecting data on all drivers regardless of their involvement in a crime," said Charles Degliomini, Executive Vice President of Government Relations at Rekor Systems. "Our patented approach enables communities to shift from broad, time-based ALPR and vehicle data storage to more targeted, incident conditions-based retention."

The company reported it has filed 30 patents, with six awarded patents including previous grants for privacy-enhanced traffic monitoring and image-processing techniques. Chris Kadoch, Chief Technology Officer at Rekor Systems, stated the development provides police departments and communities control over retention policies while allowing community input in policy formation.

The information is based on a company press release statement.