License Plate Readers

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California has passed a new law to prevent people from obscuring their vehicle license plate so that the numbers and letters can't be picked up by cameras at red lights, toll booths or read by license plate readers.  I oppose red light cameras, I think that enforcement should be done by people not by machines.  I think it is important that officers be able to use discretion when writing a ticket, I don't believe it is appropriate to use criminal offenses as a way to raise money.  It leads to official corruption where the innocent are charged just to earn money.

I am in favor of license plate readers.  It is just a mechanical version of the old hot sheet and it gives officers an ability to capture criminals, wanted persons and recover stolen cars that is unprecedented.  Auto theft costs billions of dollars per year and stolen cars are often taken to be used in other criminal enterprises.  I do think the information gathered should only be released to law enforcement for legitimate investigative purposes. 

I think the data should be deleted as soon as it is no longer needed.  I see no reason to keep the information collected for more than a month and in most cases no more than a day or two.  It is no ones business who is parked in front of a pharmacy, their girlfriends house, their church, the job the moonlight at, and the information should not be used for those purposes.  I don't want the information given out of new media, tabloids, ex-wives and others who are not using it for law enforcement.  People should not be able to hide their license plate information from the police, but the police should safeguard that information from others; that's what the SGT Says.