Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer Blog
A new camera that is mounted onto the police cars of various city and county police departments in South Florida can take a picture of thousands of license tags per shift, according to an article on www.Sun-sentinel.com. The camera records the information on the license tag as well as where and when the picture was taken. The information on the license tag is run through a police database to check for matches with stolen vehicles and warrants for criminal offenders.
According to the article out of Hollywood, Florida, there are twelve police departments that are using this camera in the South Florida area. The police consider the camera to be a valuable and efficient tool to detect stolen vehicles and find people who have outstanding criminal warrants. Critics of the new camera worry that the camera and database, which permanently record and store information about innocent people, may be used for improper purposes in violation of privacy laws.