Maryland is rolling out license-plate scanners mounted on police patrol cars. The vehicle-mounted scanners are said to each be capable of scanning 5,000 plates in an eight-hour shift. The data will be transmitted in real time to a central database for analysis. The database will also record each event “by registering their GPS locations when each license plate is scanned.”
- Authorities in Maryland plan to collect data on motorists using automated license-plate scanners and centrally store it at a police intelligence fusion center where law enforcement specialists analyze and share sensitive information about criminal and terrorist threats.
- Motorola says the recognition technology allows police to check up to 5,000 plates during an eight-hour shift. The systems then compare plate information automatically against databases of outstanding warrants or vehicles reported stolen.
So, you might be asking, what are “terrorist threats”? Why, dear reader, YOU are.
In this document, prepared at the behest of and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, anyone who believes in “Restoring the Constitution” is a dangerous threat. The document is titled “Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism: Terms and Concepts.” Here’s one entry:
- “Restoring the Government/Constitution: One of the prime goals of many members of the “patriot” movement, who claim they are not trying to overthrow the government but rather want to “restore” the government to its status before it started “ignoring” the Constitution. Patriots claim that most actions of the U.S. government are unconstitutional and illegal.”
Maybe the ACLU could look into this. Or not.
