FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — For months, we’ve reported on the rise in carjackings and stolen vehicles across the DMV. Police jurisdictions across the area have tried new techniques in patrolling and investigating. In Fairfax County police added a new tool to solve stolen car crimes: license plate readers.
You’ve probably seen squad cars with the readers on the back. Fairfax County police have installed new standalone readers. They record more information and retain it for longer.
“It was decided that in order to combat recent trends, including stolen vehicles, that the Fairfax County Police Department would expand its license plate reader system,” 2nd Lt. Hudson Bull explained.
That expansion led police to start a pilot program in November. They purchased license plate reader system from a company called Flock Safety.
The automatic readers can record the make and model of the car, the color, and even track vehicles with obscured license plates. The readers tap into the local and national stolen car database and send real-time alerts to officers when a stolen vehicle passes them.
Since November, the system helped Fairfax County police solve a number of crimes, according to Bull.
“During eight weeks we were able to find two missing people get them back home, we were also able to recover six stolen cars,” Lt. Bull said.
At the same time the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has concerns. In statement a spokesperson said:
“Mass surveillance technologies make all Virginians less free. Virginia is a driving state, and tracking where cars travel could capture which doctors, political events, and even churches Virginians visit – all without being required to have a search warrant.
“There is little evidence this kind of surveillance reduces crime, but there is plenty of reason to expect it will replicate the same racial disparities we see in other law enforcement activities. Add to that the yet unknown financial burden of deploying these license plate readers on taxpayers, and it’s clear the costs of gathering and storing information about where Virginians travel far outweigh the benefits. Police and private companies’ collection of data from every person who travels on Virginia roadways is a system of mass surveillance ripe for abuse.”
In response, Fairfax County Police said the recordings delete after 30 days and are subject to audits.
“We’ve reached out to a number of different community groups, to our government leaders and our community stakeholders to ensure that they know how our license plate reader system works and how we are moving forward with the program,” Lt. Bull said.