SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – People living in Sumter County have mixed reactions after Sheriff Patrick Breeden suspended the use of automatic license plate readers.
The decision to halt use of LPRs, manufactured by Flock Safety, was made after investigators said a Sumter County detective improperly accessed multiple law enforcement databases for personal reasons.
“While I do believe these systems are a valuable tool for law enforcement, due to these circumstances, I have ordered a complete internal audit of all the databases, and I have suspended the use of Flock,” Sheriff Breeden said.
While law enforcement advocates see LPRs as a valuable tool, civil liberties groups have raised concerns about data security and a lack of sufficient oversight.
Erik Field lives in Sumter County and has felt uneasy about seeing the cameras around his community.
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“I’m an old dude that goes to the dog park, and I’m not worth having my picture taken 20 times,” Field said. “Law enforcement shouldn’t have such easy access to it for personal matters.”
While Field applauded the sheriff’s decision to suspend use of the cameras, there are others who hope it’s not permanent.
Bill Glynn said the cameras are needed in a lot of cases and law enforcement should have continued access despite cases of misuse.
“I think these cameras are terrific. They’ve solved way more crimes than they’ve caused,” Glynn said. “I think it needs to be cleaned up, obviously, but I’m for all these cameras.”
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office has not said how many cameras are affected by the suspension.