"Mobile Plate Hunter" Cameras Raise Questions

The Washington Post has a story on "Minority Report"-style license-plate scanners that mount on police cars. They are the size of softballs, cost $25K, and can scan and run thousands of plates a day through the local Motor Vehicle Administration database. The easy mission creep these devices encourage is summarized in the article: "Initially purchased to find stolen cars, a handful of so-called tag readers are in use across the Washington region to catch not just car thieves, but also drivers who neglected or failed their emissions inspections or let their insurance policies lapse. The District and Prince George's County use them to enforce parking rules... 'I just think it makes us a lot more effective and a lot more efficient in how our time is being used,' [a senior detective] said." The article doesn't mention what happens to the data on legal plates. Suppose the DHS decides it wants a permanent archive of who was where, when?

Comments

Re:Poor analysis

[plasmacutter]

I don't have a problem with people running from the cops.

My right to privacy should not be eroded because they want their jobs made easier.

Traffic cops especially, who are basically paid "raiders" for the insurance companies, commanded with the task of finding excuses to raise your rates.

I love how cops can take the time to pull me over for a headlight I didn't notice was out, but it's been 10 years and they still haven't found the guy who stole 2000 dollars in cd's from my car.

Re:It's misnamed

[KGIII]

In Bay County, Florida, you didn't even need to have your vehicle inspected at all. Florida has some odd laws.