‘What’s the purpose?’ Angry drivers pointing to crucial error as 111 cameras installed to crack down on auto theft

DRIVERS were furious after number plate readers were installed in a major city to curb thefts.

The plan is to install 111 cameras by mid-June, with 55 already installed since the announcement in January.

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Denver, Colorado, has launched a new initiative to crack down on the rise in car theft, according to FOX affiliate KDVR.

The city plans to install readers at about 70 intersections in Denver, according to the Denver Police Department.

Police said the readers already implemented have led to “success stories” in tracking suspects and stolen cars.

They have helped with 15 cases since May that led to an arrest or helped with an investigation.

“Automated license plate recognition [ALPR] The network is providing the investigative leads we hoped for, and we are optimistic about achieving even more positive results like these for our community once the network is fully deployed,” Police Chief Ron Thomas said in a statement.

While some license plate readers have helped track thefts, some drivers are still skeptical.

“What’s the purpose?” asked a Facebook user.

“Goodbye to freedoms and privacy,” said another.

Many drivers argued that most cars “don’t have license plates” in Denver, so they couldn’t see how the camera installation was helpful to the city.

HOW IT WORKS?

Readers take a photo of the back of a car and its license plate, make, model and color, according to police.

This information is then placed into an encrypted Denver Police database that requires officers to have a reason to search it.

Police said the driver or other passengers were not captured in the photo and no identifying information was obtained.

None of the information is shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or third parties and is not used for traffic enforcement, police said.

The readers are used to find cars associated with crimes including hit-and-runs, emergency alerts like Amber or Silver alerts, stolen vehicles or vehicles used in homicides.

“So when an individual steals a car, we have these license plate readers installed throughout the area. Then, police officers can receive an alert through the system indicating where that stolen car may be at that moment,” Commander Paul Jimenez told the outlet.

While law enforcement officials insist the information is secure, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are concerned about privacy, warning that the information could be added to and stored in larger databases, according to the news outlet.

Police said the data is stored for 30 days unless an investigation needs the information for longer.

The public will also be able to access a transparency portal that shows information such as the system’s policy, statistics on how many vehicles were detected and the number of wanted vehicles captured by the cameras.

Colorado isn’t the only state cracking down on new tactics to curb illegal actions.

Delaware has instituted a new law that does not allow tow truck drivers to charge more than $500 for towing and storage, and to ensure there are fees on display for the public in the lots they patrol.

US Sun has reached out to the Denver Police Department for comment.