LICENSE PLATE READERS

[RIMSPOKE]

I READ SOME MONTHS AGO THAT THEY WERE USING THIS IN CANADA AND

OFFERING THE SYSTEM TO POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE US .

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-03-license-plate-cameras_N.htm

SO NOW IT's HERE & SPREADING . THE COPS HAVE A CAMERA & COMPUTER TO

READ & PROCESS LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS ON MOVING & PARKED CARS .

THE COMPUTER FLAGS CARS OF INTEREST AUTOMATICALLY .

NOT THAT I HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE BUT WHAT ABOUT VEHICLES

WITH VINTAGE , ANTIQUE AND YOM PLATES ?

HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA , ANY VEHICLE OVER 35 YEARS CAN RUN A

VINTAGE PLATE PROVIDED A CURRENT PLATE IS KEPT IN THE CAR .

THIS INCLUDES ALL 2002's EXCEPT FOR THE 1976 MODELS & THEY CAN JOIN IN NEXT YEAR .

THOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT IN ANY DATABASE SO I HAVE TO WONDER HOW MUCH LONGER I WILL BE ABLE

TO USE MY TOO COOL FOR WORDS 1963 MOTORCYCLE LICENSE PLATE ON MY 1963 MESSERSCHMITT .

[Anschauer]

OK we've had them up here in NY for some time - mostly state police but now becoming more common with the county mounties and village cops who like the way they look on the copmobiles

Just so you know how little privacy you can expect this same system is now commercially, yes commercially available and is well-subscribed to by of all people, repo men.

http://www.wftv.com/news/21586788/detail.html

do a GIS search - there are lots of stories out there on this topic

[scestes]

One of the local communities here in the Bay Area (Tiburon) has talked about putting in these sorts of cameras in the ingress/egress points of the city. The city has only a couple of ways you can get in or out, and they're looking to track who comes and goes for the sake of identifying criminals (i.e. people who have expired tabs, vehicles reported stolen, or vehicles owned by a wanted person) as they enter the city so they can "cut them off at the pass" I guess.

They were talking about it as of July of last year, I'm not show how far they've gone in the process to actually bring it to fruition.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-07-10/news/17216638_1_license-plate-cars-cameras

[f1reverb]

Even in the local mall parking lots such as Topanga Plaza.