License plate reader cameras can make Plano safer with right guardrails | Opinion
The use of these cameras in other places has raised concerns about surveillance and privacy. Drivers on public roads and pedestrians in public spaces can be seen by any passerby, so the cameras are not necessarily violating a reasonable expectation of privacy. Still, the cameras’ range of vision is greater than that of the human eye, and people will have legitimate questions about how data that police collect is used and stored.
It’s important that police set clear rules to assure residents that information about the movement of vehicles won’t be misused to spy on innocent people or sold to corporations that make money through intrusive advertising. Lt. Glenn Cavin of the Plano Police Department told us that data captured by license plate readers in squad cars is stored on servers and purged after one year. He said only authorized law enforcement personnel would have access to the images from the portable cameras. The camera software used by the department has audit capabilities to make sure the data is not being misused, Cavin said.
Plano police should conduct annual audits or periodic reviews to confirm that the images are being used only from crime investigations and only by the authorized staff. They should also publicize among residents and businesses the safeguards put in place to protect them from illegal surveillance. Good technology can be decisive in detecting and stopping crime, but police agencies and city councils must take care to ensure it is not abused.
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