Posted on 03/26/2009 8:23:11 AM PDT by woollyone
New police car cameras never forget when and where they saw a license tag. They can scan thousands of them a day. ~snip~ Plate recognition systems vary by vendor, but most work the same way: Once a camera shoots an image of a tag, the plate number is run through a constantly updated database of stolen cars and tags. A computer inside the cruiser alerts the officer when it finds a hit. ~snip~ The Broward Sheriff's Office, which covers 14 cities including Pompano Beach, Tamarac and Cooper City, has 35 license plate recognition systems mounted on patrol cars and at fixed locations throughout the county,
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
and... IBT "what's-the-problem-if-you-don't-have-anything-to-hide" post
Obviously S. Florida police have nothing better to do.
I really don’t like that the information is saved.
A permanent record of your travels.
The other question that comes to mind is what agencies can access that saved data at any time?
So how long before software starts to tie plates sightings
together, compare to pattern of illicit activity, and issue
arrest warrant? Kind of like red light camera on steroids.
If they could put license numbers for all of those on the wanted list maybe they could catch some real criminals like parking ticket scofflaws or murderers.
Same here. I’m not against officers using this technology to know their environment better any more than I am against them using binoculars to see more than the naked eye or using the trained nose of a canine to smell that which humans cannot. (Or use a gun to stop a perp at a distance that human arms cannot.) These systems are using information on display (by law) in a public place.
I do dread that this information is saved. Perhaps I’m just paranoid but I also don’t want to someday in the future get bombarded with video messages on my cellphone from Superfastburger telling me that they know I travel by their business 3 times a week and I should come in for 4 cents off of a squishee and large fries.
Something about lack of "probable cause" pegs my police state meter
The camera "takes care of that" when the camera can investigate and determine where the car thief is, make an arrest and take him to jail. The police officer will either continue to "do something different" when the computer gets a hit or stop and do the police thing.
This could easily be combined with radar units now appearing on production cars to identify and issue speeding tickets with no cop intervention.
I too, don't like the fact that the data is saved.
However, I *don't* see any problem with computerized scanning of the plates around the cruisers, and have some sort of alert for the officer. I think that's a better idea than having the police officer drive with one eye on the road and one eye+hand on a computer.
Typical gov't. A little bit is a good idea, but they don't know when to stop.
Shouldn’t be long before licence plate tag recognition radar blockers hit the market.
Great way to enhance revenue generation....
Big Brother technology needs to be outlawed or heavily regulated.
“radar units now appearing on production cars “
Huh??
TN Licenses have a bar code on them.
winner!
how large is the barcode?
Can it be read from a distance, say, like 50 feet?
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