ALPRs are a good for law enforcement. The ACLU is a jewish hate group. On Oct 31, 9:21 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > ** > NMA Blog: ALPRs—Coming to a Street Near You <http://blog.motorists.org> > <http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedbur...> > ------------------------------ > > ALPRs—Coming to a Street Near > You<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motoristsblog/~3/xGYU3FJa6E0/?utm_sour...> > > Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:12 AM PDT > > *[image: ALPRs—Coming to a Street Near You] > By John Bowman, NMA Communications Director* > > The NMA first raised the alarm on automated license plate readers (ALPRs) > two-and-a-half years ago (E-Newsletter Issue #61: Here, There, > Everywhere<http://alerts.motorists.org/nma-email-newsletter-issue-61>). > With more and more police agencies throughout the country employing the > technology, we thought an update was in order. > > ALPRs are cameras (either stationary or mounted on patrol cars) that snap a > photograph of every license plate that passes by them. (Check > out<http://alerts.motorists.org/nma-email-newsletter-issue-61>the > previous newsletter for a video clip.) The devices then check the > plate > number against a variety of databases searching for things like stolen > vehicles, owners with lapsed registrations, outstanding fines or warrants. > > By all accounts ALPRs have proliferated rapidly. But just how fast and how > far this troublesome technology has spread remains an open question. > > Here are a few things we do know about ALPRs: Enforcement agencies in all > 50 states have adopted the technology due to its ability to efficiently > process vast amounts of data. One plate reader can scan up to 3,000 license > plates per minute. Patrol-based units use a laptop computer to quickly > identify and pinpoint the location of a suspect vehicle in real time. > > With enough cameras, ALPR systems can blanket a city and essentially track > the day-to-day movements of thousands of vehicles at a time. For example, > Washington D.C. has quietly installed more than 250 ALPR > cameras<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/license-plate-readers-a-useful-to...>throughout > the district. That’s more than one camera per square mile. > > Millions in federal grant > dollars<http://www.privacysos.org/technologies_of_control/ALPR>have > been made available to law enforcement agencies for the purchase of > ALPR systems. System suppliers have been quick to facilitate the > grant-making process by offering extensive > assistance<http://pipstechnology.com/contact/grants/>to agencies > looking for grant money. > > The result? Countless police agencies adopting a surveillance technology > capable of tracking countless motorists, all with the financial support of > the federal government. What can go wrong? > > In an effort to target relatively few drivers for legitimate law > enforcement purposes, detailed information on millions of others is swept > up in the process, creating what amounts to a warrantless tracking tool. > The privacy implications are staggering: How long is that information > stored? Who has access to it? How can they use it? What protections exist > to make sure abuses such as mistaken identification don’t occur? > > The length of time data are retained varies from agency to agency. Some > keep data for as little as 30 days, while others, like the New York State > Police, retain the data indefinitely. The potential for data sharing is > huge. The ACLU has > reported<http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty-national-security/wha...>that > states are beginning to pool their ALPR data into huge databases which > are easily accessible by law enforcement officials at all levels. All with > no judicial oversight. Speaking of oversight, only two states (New > Hampshire and Maine) have enacted laws controlling the use of plate readers > and the data they generate. > > Back to our original question, how fast and how far has ALPR technology > spread? To find out, local ACLU chapters recently sent public records > requests to nearly 600 municipal and state law enforcement agencies seeking > detailed information about their use of ALPR systems. Freedom of > Information Act requests were also filed with the Department of Justice, > Homeland Security, and the Department of Transportation to learn how the > federal government uses the technology and how it has been funding ALPR > programs around the country. You can track the progress of this effort > here<http://www.aclu.org/automatic-license-plate-readers-threat-americans-...> > . > > We commend the ACLU and believe their work will help protect motorists from > the inevitable abuses posed by ALPRs. However, it’s worth noting that some > of the largest compilers of ALPR data are not public agencies but private > companies. > > Vigilant Solutions <http://vigilantsolutions.com/>, a California-based > company, has built what may be the largest repository of ALPR information > anywhere. Using the same technology as law enforcement, the company claims > to have compiled a database of more than 825 million license plate > records<http://vigilantsolutions.com/about/vigilant-faq>. > All of which it makes available to law enforcement agencies. > > We’ve all seen what happens when public officials ally themselves with > for-profit private firms ( i.e., ticket camera vendors) in the interest of > public safety. What, if any, motorist privacy policies Vigilant has put in > place remain unclear. Establishing ALPR oversight in the public sector is > important, but doing so in the private sector may be more critical in the > long run. > > *Are You A NMA Member?* If not, read about *the > benefits<http://www.motorists.org/memberbenefits/> > * and then *join! <https://www.motorists.org/join/>* > > ALPRs—Coming to a Street Near > You<http://blog.motorists.org/alpr-street-near-you/> > > Further Reading: > > - Driving News Roundup: August 3, > 2012<http://blog.motorists.org/driving-news-august-3-2012/> > - Turning the Tables <http://blog.motorists.org/turning-the-tables/> > - Driving News Roundup: August 31, > 2012<http://blog.motorists.org/driving-news-august-31-2012/> > - The NMA Mission Grows<http://blog.motorists.org/the-nma-mission-grows/> > - Watchdogs on the Prowl in New > Jersey<http://blog.motorists.org/watchdogs-prowl-new-jersey/> > > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/motoristsblog?a=xGYU3FJa6E0:p9DOtVZm8...> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/motoristsblog?a=xGYU3FJa6E0:p9DOtVZm8...> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/motoristsblog?a=xGYU3FJa6E0:p9DOtVZm8...> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/motoristsblog?a=xGYU3FJa6E0:p9DOtVZm8...> > <http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/motoristsblog?a=xGYU3FJa6E0:p9DOtVZm8...> > > Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago > IL USA 60610
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