Jonathan Hall Uncovers: License plate readers

A cop, on the beat in Brockton, zeros in on a driver suspected of breaking the law.

Officer Cronshaw, Brockton Police Dept.
"Stay in the car! Get in the car!"

The officer moves in, working off of information he received just seconds before.

Police nab a shooting suspect wanted in Somerville.  He was caught in a stolen car.   
 
Sgt. Neil Brennan, Somerville Police Dept.
"The vehicle took off. The officers apprehended the operator."

Cops credit these catches to their new high tech crime fighting tool, a license plate reader or LPR.   

It can see and analyze hundreds of plates a minute and immediately pull up any problems involving the car, or its owner.

Officer Cronshaw, Brockton Police Dept.
"Every one-tenth of a second it will send out an infra red signal."

The cameras are so precise they can photograph plates at speeds up to 120 miles an hour.

Officer Mark Saia, Peabody Police Dept.
"It's telling me if it's a stolen vehicle, if it's a revoked registration, expired registration."

If they get a hit, the alarm sounds.

Officer Lenny Ford, Melrose Police Dept.
"When the alert goes off, that's what catches your attention."

And it all happens in just seconds.

This system is an incredibly efficient tool for police. Up to four cameras can scan thousands of plates an hour. But the system is expensive, more than $20,000.
 
Deputy Chief Scott Carriere, Peabody Police Dept.
"Can you put a price on saving a life? Can you put a price on locking up a potential suspect?"

 If a sex offender, driving his own car, is parked outside a school, police say they will know. The system is also designed to catch amber alert suspects, as well as get illegal cars off the road.

Somerville police have taken almost 100 cars off the streets in just the last few months.      
 
Officer Diogo deOliveira, Somerville Police Dept.
"Why are you driving an uninsured vehicle sir?"

Because LPRs can track drivers' movements and store them in a database, critics worry they could infringe on our constitutional right to privacy.

Carol Rose, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
"Who has access to the data, how is it gonna be stored, what assurances do we have that it's secure?"
 
Police we spoke to say they will delete the data they collect, often within 90 days, unless it's used in court.

Officer Mark Saia, Peabody Police Dept.
"This is information that's already available to us. It just allows us to do it faster."

Drivers have mixed feelings.

Jeff Carbone, driver
"I think it's great. It gets the uninsured drivers off the road."

Todd Fowlie, driver
"I would say it's like being watched by big brother."

And watch for plate readers on Massachusetts highways. 7News has learned state police are now testing them out.

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