RICHMOND â Disappointed with a recent Virginia Supreme Court ruling about the use of license plate readers, Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, is renewing his push to limit how long law enforcement agencies can retain data collected by the devices. The bill he introduced in the General Assembly would limit how long agencies can retain the data the automated readers collect to no more than 30 days, unless the information is actively being used in an investigation. His bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 28-11 and heads to the House of Delegates for its consideration. âItâs this whole idea of weâre under a microscope and thereâs a record of our movements for months,â Petersen said. âThatâs whatâs disturbing.â