Summit's license plate reader audits found four significant violations and one minor violation in 2024 and 16 minor violations in 2025. All but one were tied to errors entering case numbers. NJ21st.com obtained the audit records through Open Public Records Act requests.

The department responded to the case-number violations with officer retraining and audit enhancements. NJ21st.com's report did not describe the one minor 2024 violation.

NJ21st.com filed OPRA requests with Summit, New Providence and Berkeley Heights asking for three years of violation data from the departments' automated license plate reader systems, or ALPRs. New Jersey Attorney General Directive 2022-12 requires departments using ALPRs to control data access, maintain usage records and conduct annual audits.

Police Chief Ryan Peters told NJ21st.com in a separate email that the four significant violations in 2024 involved officers failing to enter the correct case number, or any case number, on four occasions. Redacted records obtained through the OPRA request matched his account, NJ21st.com reported.

The 16 minor violations in the 2025 audit were formatting errors. Officers typed "25" instead of "2025" when entering case numbers. No significant violations were found that year. The department's 2023 audit, covering July 1 through Dec. 31, 2023, found zero violations.

Records show Summit pays $4,125 for a Motorola/Vigilant basic service package covering nine months in 2026 for up to 14 cameras. That figure does not represent a full annual cost, and records did not include costs tied to Axon, a second vendor listed in Summit's audits.

NJ21st.com noted in its Sept. 12 coverage that Summit was the only department of the three to transparently and quickly respond to the records requests. Berkeley Heights reported 36 minor violations over two audit years but told NJ21st.com no records exist describing what those violations involved or what corrective steps were taken. New Providence's violations centered on case-number issues and failures to note a reason for the inquiry. The department retrained officers in 2024.

At a September Summit Common Council meeting covered by NJ21st.com, Councilmember Dan Crisafulli defended the department's use of ALPRs. He said Chief Peters cited specific examples where the cameras deterred theft or helped solve crimes. The council agenda did not include documentation supporting those claims, NJ21st.com reported.

Residents can file their own OPRA requests seeking ALPR contracts, audit results and camera locations from their local police department.