Automatic License Plate Scanner mounted on a York City Police patrol car. Courtesy

York, Pa – The York County Libertarian Party has successfully argued for a moratorium on the purchase of automatic license plate scanners intended to be deployed by the York City Police Department. We commend council members Ray, Hill-Evans, and Nelson for voting to send the proposal to committee for more discussion. Councilwoman Toni Smith, who voted no on stalling the purchase, stated she believes the police should have deployed the devices in secret. Audio of Smith’s quote is included below.

The York Daily Record was on hand to cover the event and reported the following: The city police department has proposed buying two mobile scanning systems that would be mounted on police cruisers to scan license plates of parked and passing cars. The systems, which include four cameras each, would be placed on a cruiser’s roof and fenders to scan for tags for related criminal issues, such as unserved warrants, stolen vehicles and persons of interest, said Capt. Russell Tschopp.

Any issues found would give officers probable cause to stop a vehicle and do additional searches, he said. Often people with unserved warrants or registration problems have involvement with other crimes or are carrying guns or illegal drugs, Tschopp said.

The system, which will cost about $25,000, will pay for itself in the revenue generated from warrants and parking tickets, Tschopp said.

Several council members and members of the public at the meeting were less enthusiastic about the system. Council president Genevieve Ray said she wasn’t opposed, but questioned whether it helped the police to fight crime.

Tschopp noted that the system could also be used to store the whereabouts of vehicles, which detectives can search to see what cars were in the area prior to a crime or even at the time it was committed. It can also access databases to search for suspected terrorists.

City resident and council candidate Manuel Gomez said that the data the department will collect should be carefully regulated and asked council to send the purchase to committee for more thorough discussion.

Council agreed, voting 3-2 to send the purchase to the police committee. Councilwoman Toni Smith and Councilman Henry Nixon voted no.

Councilwoman Smith Says License Plate Scanners Should Be Deployed In Secret

Click to listen to audio of councilwoman Toni Smith caution the police about allowing the citizens to know “too much information”.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

The date for the police committee is yet to be determined. The York County Libertarian Party is opposed to the deployment of automatic license plate scanners in York, but will be releasing a set of comprehensive proposals and recommendations to balance the rights of the citizenry against this new expansion of police powers.

Leave a comment below and tell us about any concerns or questions you may have regarding this issue. We welcome all suggestions and feedback. This page will be updated with any pertinent details as they emerge.

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