Scars, Tattoos, And License Plates: This Is What Palantir And The LAPD Know About You

BuzzFeed News Investigation
Caroline Haskins

BuzzFeed News obtained Palantir training documents that reveal the extensive personal information the LAPD collects and analyzes using Palantir's software, providing unprecedented insight into the surveillance capabilities deployed in Los Angeles.

WHAT DATA LAPD COLLECTS

LAPD's Palantir database includes:

- Scars, marks, and tattoos
- Gang affiliations and associates
- Criminal history
- License plate reader data (1 billion images from LA and neighboring areas)
- Field interview cards
- Social media information
- DMV records (meaning anyone with a California driver's license can be swept into Palantir)
- Arrest records
- Vehicle information
- Known associates

TRAINING DOCUMENTS REVELATIONS

The training documents obtained by BuzzFeed News show how officers are taught to use Palantir's software to:

1. Search across multiple databases simultaneously
2. Build networks of associates based on various connections
3. Track individuals' movements through license plate data
4. Create profiles combining information from disparate sources
5. Visualize relationships and connections

BILLION LICENSE PLATE IMAGES

One of the most striking revelations is that LAPD's Palantir database includes 1 billion pictures taken of license plates from traffic lights and toll booths in Los Angeles and neighboring areas.

This means that even people who have never been stopped or arrested by police have their movements tracked and stored in the system if they drive in the Los Angeles area.

FIELD INTERVIEW CARDS

Field interview cards—records of police stops that don't result in arrests—feed into the Palantir system. These cards often include:
- Names of individuals stopped
- Reasons for the stop
- Information about people the individual was with
- Location and time data
- Officer observations and suspicions

Because many of these stops target communities of color disproportionately, the data entering Palantir's system reflects existing patterns of discriminatory policing.

ASSOCIATE NETWORKS

The documents reveal how Palantir enables officers to map networks of associates. Simply being present during someone else's police encounter can result in your information being entered into the system and linked to that person's profile.

This creates "guilt by association" networks where:
- Family members become connected in the database
- Friends and acquaintances are linked
- People in the same neighborhood are associated
- Anyone present during a stop becomes part of surveillance networks

DMV DATA INTEGRATION

The revelation that DMV data feeds into LAPD's Palantir system means that routine government services become vectors for surveillance. When residents get a driver's license or register a vehicle, that information becomes searchable alongside criminal databases.

SCOPE BEYOND CRIMINAL SUSPECTS

The training documents make clear that the data collected extends far beyond criminal suspects:
- Victims of crimes
- Witnesses
- People stopped but not arrested
- Associates of people stopped
- Anyone captured by license plate readers
- People with DMV records

VISUALIZATION CAPABILITIES

The Palantir software provides powerful visualization tools that allow officers to:
- See geographic patterns of where individuals have been spotted
- Timeline views of a person's interactions with law enforcement
- Network graphs showing connections between people
- Link analysis connecting people, places, vehicles, and events

SEARCH CAPABILITIES

Officers can search the integrated database by:
- Name
- Physical characteristics (including scars and tattoos)
- Vehicle information
- License plate
- Location
- Associates
- Gang affiliation
- Any combination of the above

NO WARRANT REQUIRED

Critically, officers can search this extensive database without a warrant. The information is considered already "lawfully collected" even if the original collection (such as a field interview card) may have been of questionable legality.

RETENTION POLICIES

The documents provide little clarity on data retention—how long information stays in the system, under what circumstances it might be deleted, and whether individuals can request removal of their data.

LACK OF PUBLIC AWARENESS

Most Los Angeles residents have no idea that this extensive surveillance system exists or that their information might be included in it. The LAPD has not publicized the capabilities or scope of its Palantir system.

CIVIL LIBERTIES IMPLICATIONS

The BuzzFeed investigation illustrates several civil liberties concerns:

1. Mass surveillance without individualized suspicion
2. Data collection that disproportionately impacts communities of color
3. No notification when your information is in the system
4. No meaningful way to contest or correct information
5. No clear limits on how data can be used
6. Lack of democratic oversight or public input

PALANTIR'S ROLE

While LAPD is the entity collecting and using the data, Palantir's software is what makes the integration and analysis possible. Without Palantir's platform:
- Data would remain siloed in separate systems
- Cross-referencing would be manual and limited
- Network analysis would be infeasible at scale
- Real-time searching would be impossible

STOP LAPD SPYING COALITION RESPONSE

The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition used the BuzzFeed revelations to further document how Palantir enables surveillance that would have been technically impossible in earlier eras.

The coalition argues that the scope and capabilities revealed in the training documents demonstrate why Palantir's predictive policing must be ended, not just reformed.

BROADER PATTERN

The LAPD documents are part of a broader pattern documented in multiple cities where Palantir's platforms enable:
- Integration of data that was previously separated
- Analysis at scale that manual methods couldn't achieve
- Surveillance of entire communities rather than specific suspects
- Predictive systems that embed existing bias

PUBLIC RECORDS BATTLES

Obtaining these training documents required extensive public records battles. Palantir and law enforcement agencies typically resist disclosure of how the systems work, arguing that:
- Operational details should remain secret
- Revealing capabilities helps criminals
- Proprietary business information is protected

This secrecy makes independent oversight and public accountability extremely difficult.

IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER CITIES

If this is what Palantir enables in Los Angeles, similar capabilities likely exist everywhere the company works with law enforcement. The LAPD revelations provide a window into surveillance systems that operate in numerous jurisdictions with even less transparency.
