OVIEDO, Fla. – The City of Oviedo is revisiting the police department’s automatic license plate reader program after concerns have been raised about how the cameras are used.
At a meeting on Monday, the city council will hold a discussion about policies governing the use of LPRs and safeguards in place to prevent misuse of the program.
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The discussion was scheduled after a resident brought up a concern at a meeting on August 3 that use of LPRs may be a violation of citizens’ rights under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“You are now having a geo-fenced search running in the city at all times,” the resident said. “Residents should not have to surrender their privacy, simply to be told an unproven surveillance system makes us safer.”
Last year, the city council adopted a resolution approving the lease of eight license plate readers from Flock Group, Inc.
Flock is a private company that provides automated license plate recognition technology. Its cameras capture a vehicle’s license plate along with information such as the vehicle’s make, model, and color.
The system also records the time, date, and location associated with a vehicle and stores that information for a limited period.
The stated goal is to help law enforcement identify vehicles connected to crimes.
But critics argue the technology creates a widespread surveillance network that can track where people drive — raising concerns about privacy and how that information is accessed and shared.
John Powers is an Oviedo resident and would like to see the city reverse course on its LPR policy.
“I think they’re an absolute invasion of privacy. It’s an assumption of guilt until proven guilty,” Powers said. “They can reconsider it. I hope they consider taking them away.”
The city council will discuss the police department’s license plate reader program during its meeting on Monday at 6:30 p.m.