SEATTLE — If you drove the streets of Seattle during the past year, chances are SPD knows you were out and about.
According to a report released by the Seattle Times, a SPD program meant to identify stolen cars and multiple-ticket offenders recorded more than 1.6 million license plate scans during a 86-day period over the summer. The police department scanned more than 600,000 unique plates on 72 percent of Seattle’s roads from May to August.
License plate
The program — called the license plate scanner program — helped identify 1,858 stolen cars and illegal parkers, the Seattle Times reported.
But the program comes at the cost of residents’ privacy, some critics say, since even cars that aren’t stolen or have an abundance of tickets have their location saved and stored in a database. The location can be used for future criminal investigations.
Capitol HIll, downtown, Sodo and parts of Queen Anne and Ballard are among the most frequently scanned areas, the Times said. Area parks such as Golden Gardens were also popular locations for cops recording plates. Seattle police officers have even — if rarely — used the scanner outside of SPD jurisdiction, such as in Fife and Snohomish County.
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union are wary of the program, saying it is another example of Big Brother oversight. Jamela Debelak of the ACLU’s Washington state branch told the Times the program was hastily designed, and takes little concern for privacy violations.
The SPD’s full regulatory policy on license-plate readers is only 132 words.
“These devices got rolled out, thrown out there without any real thinking or policies,” Debelak told the Times.
guest
Everyone wants the police to "do something", but then complain about the ways they do it. If you aren't doing anything wrong then why would you worry about this?
Uncle Twisty
And when they want to "chip" you (like your pet) and monitor your movements 24/7…
If you aren't doing anything wrong then why would you worry about this, right?
You can be first in line.
Richard
if you have done nothing wrong, then a person has nothing to fear with this technology. i believe that if my vehicle happens to be stolen, then i would very much welcome this being used to locate it.
Uncle Twisty
And when they want to "chip" you (like your pet) and monitor your movements 24/7…
If you aren't doing anything wrong then why would you worry about this, right?
You can be second in line, just behind @guest (see above).
biff Michael Appia
I remember when the police had their cameras in the Bon Marche building overlooking Westlake when it was only pedestrian. The police told me if a European-Ameican purchased a large amount of coke caught on film, they didn't have enough evidence for an arrest.
Now I'm in Spokane. Where your European is not considered a profile.
Ted McDonald
Let me listen to your phone calls, E-mails, and read your mail…. what do you care,.. if you’re not doing anything wrong…. hmmm?
Ted McDonald
Because the “SPD” have never abused their power, what could go wrong?
James
Next thing they will do is track gun owners via license/license plates.
Gayle
It's really a catch 22. Yes it's great to use it to recover theft etc. but it's also a little frightening to think they're watching me. But I guess if I haven't done anything wrong…whatever… I shouldn't have anything to hide or worry about. Right?