CINCINNATI — Many police departments in Ohio are turning to a new crime-fighting tool, promising to catch suspects quicker than before. But at what price? While those departments see it as helpful, some groups in Ohio see it as an invasion of privacy.

What You Need To Know

  • Police departments across Ohio are beginning to use Flock Safety's Automated License Plate Reading Cameras

  • These cameras take pictures of license plates and notify law enforcement if the plates are entered into the National Crime Information System

  • Law enforcement uses it to track down stolen cars and much more

  • But the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said it can be a cause for concern if the cameras are not regulated

Mt. Healthy officials are looking into a string of vehicle thefts. Tracking down these criminals has been a main focus for Sgt. Alan Fath and his team of officers. 

“We have a high volume of stolen cars and a high volume of stolen cars coming through the city, and that’s on top of other subject’s warrants and other missing people,” said Fath. 

But tracking down suspects became a bit easier thanks to Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Reading (ALPR) cameras. They take pictures of license plates and alert law enforcement if it captures a license plate entered in the National Crime Information System. 

“They’re only stored for 30 days, and after the 30 days, they go away,” he said. “And only action is taken if it’s a stolen vehicle or wanted for a crime.”

After receiving the alert from the system, Fath goes out to do an investigation. Before making an arrest, there are a couple of things that he needs to do.

“Try to locate the car, verify that it’s stolen and entered into the system, wait for back up and then initiate a traffic stop,” he said. 

The Mt. Healthy Police Department has two ALPR cameras. They are one of several police departments in Greater Cincinnati and over 1,200 police departments across the United States to use them. Fath said it’s helping them on busy streets across the city. 

“We’ve had a lot of traffic incidents in the area, so it’s a highly patrolled and highly enforced traffic area,” he said. 

While these cameras may help law enforcement become more efficient when tracking down warrants and stolen cars, the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union expressed concerns around privacy. The group's chief lobbyist Gary Daniels believes there should be statewide legislation to regulate them to make sure people are not being followed or tracked. 

“We’ve got plenty of incidents and examples of this over the years, and so our concern is what exactly is stopping them from surveillance (of) whoever they want,” said Daniels. 

In Mt. Healthy, the cameras captured hundreds of thousands of photos and helped the police department solve close to 50 crimes since the installment a year ago. Having these cameras, Fath said, is like having additional officers to help out. The department hopes to purchase even more in the future.

“With investigations, we can go back and look to see if other vehicles are specific vehicles in the area so it’s been very beneficial,” said Fath. 

Daniels said the ACLU has plans to talk to Ohio legislators about this technology and what can be done to regulate it.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the system as the Stock Safety's Automated Licensed Plate Reading Cameras. (4/18/22)

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