Government Technology - April 2008 - (Page 24)

When a positive match is received, ofﬁcers are alerted by an audio or visual alarm. They then respond to the “hit” in the appropriate manner for that agency. Until an alert occurs, the PlateScan system operates in the background, allowing them to perform their regular police activities. data is easy. Blumberg said it would be better if the information expired after a few days, but that won’t happen. “It’s so easy to make copies of things. How could you possibly assure a hygienic information trail?” he asked. “Look at the E-ZPass [electronic toll] data; it’s being subpoenaed in civil court to be used in evidence in divorce cases.” Blumberg said the issues of how cameras are used and what happens to the data they produce deserve serious consideration. “All I really want is for there to be a national debate and for people to acknowledge that this is what’s happened. Then we can make informed decisions about what the law ought to be and what reasonable expectations are, or how private people should be when using Charlie Beck, chief of detectives, Los Angeles Police Department a car and public access.” As the devices get cheaper, they could theoretically be put on every street corner to ago,” he said. “There’s just no way that this nology, serving as an extension of the police track everyone’s movements. “That’s what won’t be the future of policing. It’s just too officer, will help. makes me uncomfortable,” Blumberg said of exactly on point.” “That is the promise of technology in law One of the biggest chal- enforcement. It can make up for our limited a proliferation of license plate lenges now, he added, is for resources. Cops are getting more expensive readers. “There will be a post police agencies to share the all the time; there is tremendous competition on every corner and it’s recordALPR data they’re capturing. ing all of the license plates that in the job market and they take a lot of time “The systems work fine,” to hire,” Beck said, adding that it takes time go by, and that can be used to Beck said. “A lot of it depends to hire and train officers and have them ready track everybody all the time on how expensive you want to function on their own, and the process without anybody ever knowing to go, with the cameras, with doesn’t keep up with the numbers of officers it’s happening.” infrared or not. The biggest who leave the force. There can be a compromise issue as more and more that protects people’s privacy “From the day you give me money to police departments become buy an officer, which would buy many of and still gives authorities the information they need to License plate readers equipped with this is data these systems, I’m at least a year or year sharing. We’ve got a bunch and a half from having an officer who’s protect the public, police say. have been in place at of stovepipe, stand-alone even on the street and probably three years “This is the future, and we can the Roseville, Calif., systems saving data through- from having one who can function indeeither figure out good ways to Police Department for out California right now, but pendently. It’s a hard fact that this is techuse it, put good restrictions on more than a year. The they don’t mesh. We’ve been nology I can immediately buy and leverage it, make sure it’s used by people ﬁrst PIPS system was sharing data for years, but resources with, whereas no matter how who have a reason and authori- purchased in June 2006 zation to use it, or it will grow for $31,496, and included this is new.” much money you dump on me, I can only Police budgets are tight hire so many cops.” wildly on us,” Beck said. “And software and a database setup, according to everywhere, and there’s no that’s not what we want.” spokeswoman Dee Dee indication it will change Either way, Beck said license Gunther. anytime soon. Nearly all plate reading technology is here WATCH GTtv’S REPORT ON LICENSE PLATE SCANNING TECHNOLOGY AT to stay. “This is as plain and as obvious a use police agencies need more officers than WWW.GOVTECH.COM/GT/VIDEO in policing as the two-way radio was 50 years they will get, and license plate reader tech- “It’s a hard fact that this is technology I can immediately buy and leverage resources with, whereas no matter how much money you dump on me, I can only hire so many cops.” APR_08 24 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ROSEVILLE http://www.govtech.com http://WWW.GOVTECH.COM/gt/video http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - April 2008

Government Technology - April 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene Four Questions for... Freeze Frame How Safe Is Your Data? Easy Street Gadget Overload Indiana Overhaul First Person: A Better Bill Data Defense Strength in Numbers Public Storage Products Two Cents Spectrum Personal Computing signal:noise

Government Technology - April 2008

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