Letter to the Commission: License Plate Reader Cameras
Dear City Council, Chief of Police and City Administrator
I spoke to Chief Kris DiGiovanni on Friday about my concerns about the newly installed license plate reader cameras on the causeway. He told me that they have not been hooked up yet.
While I do appreciate their potential positive use in helping solve crimes - there are also unintended consequences of their use - such as ICE surveillance along with Fourth Amendment concerns.
I am requesting that these cameras not be enabled until concerns about their use have been addressed publicly at a commission meeting.
My specific concerns and questions include the rules of use - who and when.
What database is being used to collect and store the data - i.e. Flock Safety, Genetec, Motorola?
Who else besides the KCB police has access to the data?
How long is the data stored?
Thank you -
Barb Haag-Heitman
Key Colony Beach
Automated License Plate Readers
Mayor@keycolonybeach.net,
Doug.Colonell@keycolonybeach.net,
Tom.Harding@keycolonybeach.net,
Tom.Difransico@keycolonybeach.net,
Kirk.Diehl@keycolonybeach.net,
cityadministrator@keycolonybeach.net,
cityclerk@keycolonybeach.net,
chief@keycolonybeach.net,
letters@PeopleAreAsking.org
Subject: Automated License Plate Readers
Good afternoon KCB Commissioners and KCB Police Officers:
I am writing to the commission and the police department in KCB to express my significant concerns about the operation of the license plate reading cameras at the end of the Causeway. I was at the commission meeting when the ALPRs (Automated License Plate Readers) on the Causeway were approved. Very few questions were asked, and little explanation was given for the necessity of installing these cameras. I assumed at the time that they were to catch speeders on the Causeway as we have no significant crime problem in KCB.
Please call a town hall meeting to inform the citizens of the significant risks, to citizen's privacy and well-being, of activating the license plate reading cameras on the Causeway. Below I state my reasons.
There is no reason the newly installed cameras cannot be turned on Monroe County citizens in retaliation by those in power if deemed expedient to their purposes.
Here are the Cons of license plate readers:
Cons of License Plate Readers
Privacy & Mass Surveillance: Critics, including the ACLU, argue that ALPRs create a "warrantless surveillance" network that tracks law-abiding citizens' movements without cause.
Flock's Aggressive Expansions Go Far Beyond Simple Driver Surveillance ...
Jay Stanley
Accuracy Issues: Most systems have a 90%–95% accuracy rate; however, factors like weathered plates, poor lighting, or high speeds can lead to misreads. This can result in innocent drivers being pulled over by police at gunpoint due to "false hits".
Data Security Risks: Vulnerabilities in some ALPR hardware have been identified, potentially allowing hackers to access live feeds or historical location data.
Lack of Regulation: There are currently few statewide or federal statutory standards in Florida for how long data can be kept or with whom it can be shared, leading to concerns about "indiscriminate" data sharing across state lines.
Potential for Abuse: There is documented potential for individuals or officers to use data to stalk partners, neighbors, or political groups for reasons unrelated to law enforcement.
My questions for the commissioners and the police:
1. Why, with 4 or more KCB police officers, do we need to record license plates in and out of KCB? I am not aware of any crime in KCB. Please avail the citizens of crime statistics for KCB that would be alleviated by the use of license plate reading cameras.
2. What information could be gathered by outside organizations invading the privacy of individuals in KCB by the license readers on the causeway?
3. What organizations will be able to see or download the information from our cameras? Who will have access to that information? In other words, how does the DOT, HWP, MCSO, FWC , CBP, and I.C.E. obtain and use the information?
4. How long is the information stored for by any of the recipients? What are all the possible uses for the information gathered using our license plate readers? Could law enforcement use this information to stalk a person who he has a conflict with? A partner? Divorce?
5. How is this not an invasion of my privacy and an invasion of privacy for every driver of a vehicle entering and exiting KCB?
I have recently become aware of the Flock cameras around Marathon and I sometimes see Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s patrolmen running plates and or recording speeds of passing cars. It has come to my attention that these traps are also reading plates to identify immigrant vehicles. This is information they share with Customs and Border Patrol as well as ICE. Yesterday, I was privy to just such an arrangement. A junior from Marathon High School was stopped across from McDonalds by Border Control. While the boy was waiting in his car for his kidnapping to be completed, a MCSO drove, up high fived the CBP agent, ran the kid’s license, then the CBP agent handcuffed and put the young man in his car. That boy was a member of the Marathon Community and a student at Marathon High School. He had no record of doing anything wrong. HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL! No rights, no call, no lawyer, no judicial warrant—just disappeared.
Before the Causeway cameras are activated, please call a town hall meeting to share with KCB citizens the risks and rewards of the CAUSEWAY LICENSE PLATE READING CAMERAS.
Laurie Swanson
Key Colony Beach
Surveillance Cameras
To: KCB Mayor, Doug Colonell, Kirk Diehl, Tom Difransico, Tom Harding, City Administrator, City Clerk, Letters@PeopleAreAsking.org
Subject: Surveillance Cameras
Besides more cost to the citizens of Key Colony Beach what is the purpose of these cameras? Will they prevent a crime? Solutions for problems that do not exist is a waste of tax payer funds. The reality is the city of Key Colony Beach has an extremely low crime rate and the extra cost and potential liability if the system is not constantly monitored does not meet the needs test. This is a want.
Sincerely
Theodore C. Bentley
Key Colony Beach
