CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union is joining the rest of the ACLU in raising concerns about license plate tracking cameras, including the ones police use in Charlotte.
Officials with ACLU said that after investigating cameras across the state, they found there are no laws regarding what police can do with the license plate data they collect.
They said police could learn when you arrive at work each day, where you go for lunch or if you stop by a bar on the way home.
A pending Senate bill would force police to get a search warrant before using or sharing the data.
"The point is, it's none of the government's business," said Mike Meno with the North Carolina ACLU. "We need some sensible safeguards to make sure people's privacy is protected and that average citizens are not being monitored by the government simply because they can."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials said the department deletes its data every six months, telling Channel 9 the system "has played a significant role in many investigations due to the retention period."
The camera "does not conduct any type of query of the owner or driver," CMPD officials said.
ACLU raising concerns on license plate tracking cameras
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