Apparently it is catching on at police departments all over the United States and not just in Murfreesboro. License plate readers, that is. You may have already noticed them on at least one police car. One of the new solid white Ford Interceptor’s is outfitted with them. They look quite awkward on the trunk of the patrol car, like big bulky boxes that someone accidently left on the trunk, but they serve their purpose.

Police elsewhere that have been using the new technology for several months now say they are excited about these automated license plate readers that constantly scan license plate numbers and search a massive online database of information for the scanned plates captured. If the scan comes across a license plate number that is believed to be involved in some type of crime the officer in the car will be alerted. Some police departments are retaining the scanned license plate information for 90-days, others for 6-months.

In 2012, the ACLU sent 587 requests to local police departments demanding information on how they use automatic license plate readers (ALPR) to track and record Americans’ movements. The group received little reply. In September of 2012, the ACLU wrote, “These devices, mounted on police cars or stationary objects, can read and process up to 1,800 license plates per minute, allowing police to track ordinary citizens going about their lives like never before.”

Source:

Murfreesboro Police Department
ACLU – Article posted in Sept. of 2012