Florida Town Stores License Plate Camera Images For Ten Years 122
An anonymous reader writes "Yet another privacy concern story, this time from Florida. The Longboat Key police have their new license plate camera up and running, but according to the police chief, this one stores all images as 'evidence' for up to ten years. When questioned about the possibility for abuses of this camera's historical record, the chief said, 'There are regulations, policies and laws in place that prohibit that kind of abuse. And if abuse is discovered, it's punished.' What could possibly go wrong?"
What could go wrong? (Score:5, Insightful)
He's right, it IS 'evidence' (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What could go wrong? (Score:5, Insightful)
And then they will get away with it because cops don't care about enforcing laws that apply to cops.
Indeed. No police officer has ever been disciplined, or even reprimanded, for abusing license plate photo data. So the chief's assurances mean zilch.
Re:I could photograph your license plate (Score:5, Insightful)
I could photograph your license plate and keep it forever and nothing you can do about it. I can post it on the internet and nothing you can do about it.
Yes you can private citizen, though It would be very difficult for you to photograph everyone's license plate at various locations all around the city 24/7 and store them forever. And you certainly can't link that person's phone records, bank records, browsing habits, etc., etc. and store those forever. And here's the rub: even if you could do all of that you yourself couldn't do a fucking thing about it because you don't have the law on your side giving you the power to break down people's doors in the middle of the night with a paramilitary unit of trained, lethally armed thugs who *know* you're a criminal.
Tinfoil Hatless Post (Score:4, Insightful)
The reason for all of this isn't for 'safety' or even revenue, but so those in power can have evidence to screw over who they don't like. Do you think the court is going to care if you are among the majority breaking some minor law? The argument that if the majority ignores a law does not seem to matter, which is pitiful, if one considers the only authority any government has is by the consent of the governed.
Take the highway speed limit in your area, which is almost certainly well below the average speed. They won't get you, usually, unless you exceed the average significantly. But it gives the police the power to pull over almost any vehicle going above the artificially low speed limit. And those that do follow the law will be 'suspicious' by 'failing to follow the prevailing speed'.
Using roadside cameras, they can target anyone. They can use these cameras to tell the average speed of the targeted vehicle, and they could write a ticket for that vehicle each day, remotely and possibly even automatically targeted. It's only a matter of time before automated toll devices (EZ-Pass) are used in this way, already in some areas using these devices gets a discount, so you pay extra either way.
Whether this town is doing this for 'safety', revenue, or some more nefarious reason, I can't tell from the story. The only thing we can do is stay the hell away and not spend our money there. I'm going to put my tinfoil hat back on now.
Re:What could go wrong? (Score:5, Insightful)
I know of a local situation in which one was
A few weeks suspension with pay isn't punishment (the rest of the world calls that a"holiday").
Simple (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not license plates! (Score:4, Insightful)
To me, if it makes police work easier, cheaper, and more efficient, then I'm all for it. I'm more angry at the criminal elements who like to take advantage of a society that bends over backwards to try and be understanding and open.
And you are the reason why we have the Patriot Act and why more people don't believe that what the NSA has been doing is a bad thing.