Target creates 'License Plate Reading Technology'

Target creates 'License Plate Reading Technology'

wcco.com

(WCCO) New technology is allowing law enforcement cars to go looking for trouble. Computers now installed in cruisers automatically run license plates and alert officers to wanted drivers.

Police in Lakeville are testing that technology right now, but you might be surprised who came up with it: Target.

The Minnesota-based corporation is working on technology that would take pictures of license plates that come into store parking lots.

Last month, Target donated to the Lakeville Police Department the technology that reads and runs license plates through a crime database.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Terrific. More Surveillance to keep on everyone. It's like everyone is a potential suspect now and have to be watched and recorded in some database. Where will it end? Pretty soon we'll all have to have camera's installed in our houses that record everything we do. lol

wcco.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

In my opinion this will just make police officers lazier and less savy to picking up on patential threats.

It will be interesting to see how long it will take before they start lanching into city's.

Its been in the UK for some time now, called APRS. Its part of the "Ring of steel"

Also on police patrol cars, you see them floating about and parked up with a small cctv camera on the bar-light on the roof.

Interestingly enough, on the itv program "night-watch" they showed the system, where the police detained a driver who had outstanding credit payments on the car. The traffic officers detained the driver until the sheriff-officers (bailiffs) arrived on the scene to have a quiet word.

I was very surprised at this one, stolen cars, car tax, fair enough, but credit payments? i would not have thought this would have been police business yet!

I also wonder how much the credit agencies pay the police forces for the privilege of using this service!

A police car involved in a collision with a flat-bed lorry on Wednesday may have been hit while carrying out checks on car number plates.

Police were using an automatic number plate reader (ANPR) in Whitehorse Road, Thornton Heath, at the time of the crash, although they would not comment on speculation that the car involved had been taking part in it.
source

I'd want to verify it of course, but I think the law only requires the plate to be visible if the car is on a public roadway.

Sooooo...

If the car is parked on private property (like the parking lots of most stores), there may be nothing to prevent some one from covering up the plate to prevent scanning

at least while the car is on private property!

reply to post by DimensionalDetective

Uhm... we're already in the database. You enter yourself into it at the DMV. I don't see where the breach of privacy is... Yes it can make locating wanted individuals, or at least their vehicles, easier and faster. If you have a wanted vehicle model taking the human out of the process of identifying it means the cop gets off your bumper a little bit faster. But remember with the human replaced by a machine critical thinking is reduced. The operator becomes dependent. Machines are easier to fool.

I can see where this would come in handy for police. There could be a car in front of him driving totally legally and unsuspicious, but is actually a stolen car filled with criminals carrying guns and drugs. If that driver did nothing to spark his interest, he may never run the plate.

But what I want to know is why on earth Target wants to scan the license plates of everyone entering their parking lots?!

Michelle

Maybe they're afraid of terrorists throwing suicide bombers at the bullseye?

I know Target has always been hard on loss prevention. They claim it's not for marketing but I doubt that will last.

not a big surprise at all to me. target has been heads above others in security, seriously. I wouldn't doubt that Target gets funding to test new technology on customers.

Fantastic....a new Technology to assist in border security and the fight against illegal immigration...something that Target Stores should be well aware of since they were fined millions for breaking the federal employment laws.....I wonder if they used this technology to find out if who they were hiring were criminals before those folks cleaned their floors and bathrooms! You know....those jobs Americans won't do!