I’m thrilled to share some exciting news about public safety here in California.
I’ve been working for several years to improve law enforcement’s ability to respond quickly in emergencies. This past December, with the help of our Sheriff’s Department and Legislative Affairs team, we began advocating for a bill that would streamline access to license plate data from toll roads during emergencies.
I’m pleased to announce that Assembly Bill (AB) 2645, authored by Assemblymember Tom Lackey, passed unanimously out of the California Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 10. This is a huge step forward.
AB 2645 addresses a critical gap in how law enforcement currently handles situations like Amber Alerts. The bill requires transportation agencies to notify law enforcement when a vehicle identified in an emergency alert passes through toll lanes. This eliminates the need for a lengthy warrant process, allowing our officers to act swiftly and potentially save lives.
In these situations, every second counts. AB 2645 leverages existing technology to give law enforcement the tools they need to respond quickly and effectively.
I want to express my gratitude to Assemblymember Lackey for his leadership on this important issue. I also want to thank the Public Safety Committee for recognizing the urgency of AB 2645.
We look forward to continued progress on this bill and urge the Committee on Transportation to swiftly consider AB 2645. This is lifesaving legislation, and we’re committed to seeing it passed.