DES MOINES (AP) — Police in Des Moines and Sioux City will soon be using license plate-scanning technology to determine whether tags are expired or if the vehicle’s owner is linked to an arrest warrant.
The technology includes cameras on patrol cars that can instantly process license plates and tag each file with the date, time and GPS location for later reference, The Des Moines Register reported Monday.
The program debuted in Iowa in Polk County last year. It will expand to Sioux City in about a month and to Des Moines this fall.
“We’re just trying to make it right for everyone on the street,” said Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Rullman, whose patrol vehicle is outfitted with a plate recognition program.
Rullman said it’s not uncommon for the system to run 6,000 license plates during an eight-hour shift on a busy street. The technology came at no cost thanks to a nearly $26,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
“I’m looking for who’s wanted, who’s got a stolen gun, who’s got stolen plates, that kind of thing,” he said. “For your average person on the road, it’s not going to make any difference for them whatsoever.”
In Des Moines, the technology will greatly improve officers’ efficiency, said police spokesman Sgt. Chris Scott. The department is acquiring units for two patrol vehicles. The equipment will cost $38,000.
The Sioux City police department has bought one camera and expects to install it in the next month, Lt. Mark Kirkpatrick said. The department could deploy the technology in its traffic division, where a patrol car would pass more cars on the road, he said.
Some say the technology raises questions about data collection and privacy. Randall Wilson of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa said his team is still learning about the technology.
“The difference between a security camera and a surveillance camera is slight,” he said “It’s a question of policy.”
ACLU affiliates in 35 states on Monday asked police and state agencies to better explain how they use the license plate readers.