GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - A city in South Carolina plans to expand its use of cameras that scan license plate numbers, with officials saying the information is used to track criminal activity.
Greenville has been using 11 cameras at undisclosed locations since January, producing nearly 200 cases that led to arrests and recovery of property. The Post and Courier reports that the city is taking bids to install 14 more cameras.
Automated license plate readers have become more prevalent in recent years, creating a nationwide database that allows jurisdictions to identify plates and take action.
While Greenville officials praise the technology, privacy advocates fear governments are invading people’s rights. Democratic state Rep. Todd Rutherford of Columbia will introduce legislation for the fourth year in a row to regulate use of the automated readers.
“This is no slippery slope,” Rutherford told The Post and Courier. “This is the hill, and we’re sliding down it.”
The chief analyst in charge of the program for the Greenville Police Department says the city recognizes privacy concerns but the surveillance is limited.
“We’ve worked very hard to address that notion of surveillance and ‘Big Brother’ watching you,” Lee Hunt, the department’s strategic planning and analysis administrator, told the newspaper.
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division collects data from several dozen agencies that use the technology. SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said federal criminal privacy laws prevent the release of any criminal justice systems information, which includes automated license plate readers.
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