License plate readers pose civil liberties problem in Kansas City
Lewis DiuguidIt makes sense that New Hampshire’s legislature has just about banned automatic license plate readers. New Hampshire’s state motto, after all, is “Live free or die.”
Missouri is the “Show Me” state, and that’s exactly what’s been going on with Kansas City police in the last two years collecting nearly 7 million license plate numbers with its automatic license plate readers. A story today in The Kansas City Star also reports that the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned that the growing data threatens people’s freedom.
Kansas City police have said the devices have helped in solving some crimes. However, the ACLU is right to be concerned about the Big Brother overtones and how the information on people’s whereabouts might be used.
Kansas City police would like to connect what they have picked up with federal and other agency databases. Police also would like to get more of the license plate readers.
New Hampshire is starting to look better and better.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 3 weeks agoIn one area of government, the guy was right who said we shuld “starve the beast” — and that is law enforcement aimed at non-violent crime.
The expansion of federal and state crimes and law enforcement is a far greater threat to our liberties than dopers, dead beat dads and even child pornographers. Dope is not a vitamin (even pot). Guys ought to support their kids. Kiddie-porn (real kiddie,not 17 year olds)guys are sick — and if they act out ought to be candidates for informal surgery. But a government big enough to stop all of that stuff is a police state.
And, you cannot call the cops on the cops.
Richard L Wagner
9 months, 3 weeks agoPhil,
Be afraid. Be very afraid. One doesn’t need to be a member of the tin-foil-in-the-hat club, to feel very uncomfortable about some of the advances in technology in law enforcment.
Not only that, Google’s practices of roaming cameras recoring videos of private residences, unknown to the home owners or those who dwell in these private residences. This is a world-wide phenonemen. One day, there will not be any part of the globe,that has not been digitally recorded on video, by law enforcment or private agencies like Google.