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Automatic license plate readers are meant to help officers more easily identify vehicles and license plates connected to criminal activity, police said.
The devices automatically scan license plates and the plate numbers are compared to information in law enforcement databases, police said.
Police then receive alerts about potential stolen vehicles, active warrants for the registered vehicle owners and other offenses.
But critics say the plate readers are surveillance tools that gather a lot of information and they can be invasive because they can track people’s movements.
Some community members have raised concerns that plate readers could infringe on people’s privacy and questioned the technology’s cost and its effectiveness and potential negative effect, such as increased interactions between police and residents.
Officials with Flock Safety, a provider of license plater reader cameras, said that as of three weeks ago, the company was working with 18 customers in Montgomery County. They include police departments as well as some private customers, such as homeowners associations. The cities of Beavercreek, Centerville, Kettering and Springboro are among those that have contracted with the company.
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