posted by Mike Madison at 11:15 AM /
From the story:
Officers might run only 100 or so license plates in a shift, but the ALPR system will record 7,500 plates in just a couple of hours.
[Mt. Lebanon police officer Thomas "Chip"] Sanders hopes that eventually the ALPR device will be able to fish out cars with expired tags, because they're difficult to see with the naked eye, or suspended registrations.
This would give him cause to pull over, impound and search far more vehicles, which could contain contraband. He called it "another avenue to get into the car."
This, too, concerns [Electronic Privacy Information Center founder and executive director Marc] Rotenberg, who said ALPR "creates an enormous opportunity to stop people who might not otherwise be stopped." Mr. Rotenberg said that record accuracy also has been an issue, even with national databases. In a recent case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that anything recovered from a search prompted by bad information is admissible in court.
"The likelihood will evolve that a lot of innocent people are stopped," he said.
In general, I assume that our local police officers are acting in good faith. But the notion reflected in that passage -- that Mt. Lebanon police are looking for another way to get into my car -- is chilling.
(Of course, you can avoid problems by ensuring that no one who rides in your car ever carries anything that anyone, anywhere might find objectionable or offensive. You'll still get pulled over, but you may get off with just a warning.)
Marc Rotenberg, quoted above by the Post-Gazette, is one of the leading privacy advocates in the world. But he isn't some radical civil libertarian run amok. I've known Marc for 25 years, and he is and has always been a voice of reason and moderation in analyzing the uses of new technologies.
Labels: hold the phone
4 Comments:
I thought the only way to get in my car was probable cause??
Interesting. Course the only thing offensive in my car is a few fast food wrappers, about 4 1/2 years of Eat N Park smilie cookie crumbs (yes I have heard of Mr Magic) and a coating of basset hound drool around the dashboard/passenger window area.
So if they "spot" your plate from a distance and "see" that the tag is out of date what happens then? A letter and a simple administrative fine, a knock on your door or full car impoundment?
How about cameras at our intersections, so the municipality can make a fortune ticketing all the people who run red lights. The number of drivers who run red lights and stop signs around here is ridiculous.
I am shocked an a bit dismayed that there is not more outrage being expressed over this.
This pronouncement and the fact that law enforcement feels they need to "get into my car" is alarming.
This fear is based on a personal experience I had when I first moved to the township.
I was running late from Oakland to my child's daycare. Thinking I had enough time, I went through the light at Cochran and Bower Hill--I guess I didn't because in moments a police officer pulled in behind me. But he didn't pull me, he tailgated me from Cochran to Seeger Road! That's right, tailgated me.
I was frightened, I still had out of state tags, we were in the township about 6 weeks at that point, and officers from my new police department were using their vehicle to intimidate me! Welcome to Mt. Lebanon I guess.
I was scared as he continued to follow me-closely but did not turn on his lights. Why?
I made my turn to head toward day care -the lights went on. I pulled over--the officer walked up to my car and yelled "we don't run stop lights here. You're lucky I don't give you a ticket."
I know this is not the case for most of our fine officers, but there is a saying that the bad apple spoils the bushel.
So, I don't want to give our officers additional power that is not necessarily justifiable. They can obtain the same result through other means--perhaps not as quickly, but the same. I am fearful that some will use this new "tool" for the wrong reasons.
Perhaps I would feel differently if this officer had followed procedure, pulled me and given me a ticket. At least then I would have more faith that our officers make the right choices--even though I would have received what was most likely a justifiable fine and points.
When at an intersection, green means "GO", right? If my wife had gone on green at Mt. Lebanon Blvd. and Rt. 19, she would have been T-boned by the three cars speeding up Rt. 19 and severly injured or worse! They all three ran the red light and continued on their merry way! Many communities have installed the "run the red light" cameras, publicized the fact, and made money in the process, a "no brainer" in my book! Let's go LEBO!
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