Tupelo Police Chief says License Plate Readers help enhance public safety
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – You may not notice them as you are driving around Tupelo, but automated license plate readers, also known as Flock Cameras, are working 24/7.
‘The data it is collecting is open to the public; you don’t have any reasonable expectation of privacy driving on our city streets. Anyone can take pictures of anything they want, driving around, so this is data open to the public,” Chief Quaka said.
Tupelo has dozens of license plate readers throughout the city. The use of the technology has raised concerns about privacy and other issues locally and nationally. Recently, Tupelo Police made a Facebook Post, addressing some of the common misconceptions.
Chief Quaka says the LPRs are not a revenue stream for the police.
‘We do not issue traffic tickets based on license plate readers; the only way you will get a traffic ticket is from an encounter with a live police officer,” Quaka said.
The cameras scan license plate numbers, matching them against active databases. If a vehicle matches a plate in the database, 911 dispatch is notified, along with supervisors, who pass the information to patrol officers.
Chief Quaka says the technology enhances public safety.
“We have been able to use it to recover stolen vehicles, missing and endangered people; it has been successful on a kidnapping investigation. It is an invaluable tool, and we use it for legitimate law enforcement purposes,” he said.
Chief Quaka also points out the information collected by the license plate readers is kept under strict storage and access limits. The system also undergoes regular audits.
Major retailers, property managers and tollway authorities also use Flock Cameras across the nation.
