Automate License plate readers in Texas

[manwitaplan]

Are we talking about the solar powered cameras on the edge of the county lines that runs license plates? Or the ones that scan every license plate driving down the road?

[CWendling]

It’s not a conspiracy when it’s resulted in someone (me) being pulled over and detained. Twice. While I was 100% legal both times.

I’m not looking at this from an LEO perspective, I’m looking at it as a tax paying, legal private citizen. The first time cost me over half an hour between about 4-4:30 AM while I was on my way to work. I mean, who doesn’t like waking up that early for work, just to be on the side of the road and surrounded for 30 minutes while also not being given a reason?

The 2nd time, pulled over due to a stupid insurance company, but still the result of a random scan and the patrolman pulled a dangerous 180 on a non divided road in front of other traffic because my insurance hadn’t been updated in the database.

That is absolutely being used for a traffic violation and it happened to me so do not even say that it doesn’t happen.

And I have 0 issues with LEO doing their jobs, but randomly scanning vehicles driving down the road it pure BS. There is no good reason for it.

I think we are talking about 2 different things, but I understand where you are coming from. Vehicle mounted plate scanners, yes, those are often used to alert officers to expired registrations/local warrants/uninsured vehicles.

The mounted FLOCK cameras (generally at city borders/big intersections) that are used for locating stolen vehicles and tags that are related to criminal activity are not used to alert officers to traffic violations at all

[tps7742]

Are we talking about the solar powered cameras on the edge of the county lines that runs license plates? Or the ones that scan every license plate driving down the road?

I was talking about thrones that scan every license plate that goes down the road.

[Twist]

I think we are talking about 2 different things, but I understand where you are coming from. Vehicle mounted plate scanners, yes, those are often used to alert officers to expired registrations/local warrants/uninsured vehicles.

The mounted FLOCK cameras (generally at city borders/big intersections) that are used for locating stolen vehicles and tags that are related to criminal activity are not used to alert officers to traffic violations at all

That makes sense and again, I admittedly have a bad opinion because of multiple past experiences.

And it’s not so much being pulled over that bugs me. It’s the fact that I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong either time but couldn’t be given a reason as to why I was pulled over when I asked after handing over my info.

That part absolutely bothered me, and still does to this day.

[CWendling]

That makes sense and again, I admittedly have a bad opinion because of multiple past experiences.

And it’s not so much being pulled over that bugs me. It’s the fact that I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong either time but couldn’t be given a reason as to why I was pulled over when I asked after handing over my info.

That part absolutely bothered me, and still does to this day.

well that just kinda bad policing and sorry to hear that happened. Its kind of old school "ill tell you when i feel like it, just do what i say". Theres really no reason, in my opinion, not to tell someone why you stopped them. It is not required by law to tell someone(upheld by many courts for those internet warriors who think it is required), but most policies say you should/have to inform someone why they are stopped. Now, I may lie to someone Ive stopped for tactical/safety reasons (also perfectly legal) if i dont have an actual traffic violation to stop someone (also legal, only need reasonable suspicion, not probably cause to stop a vehicle to investigate). "Hey, the reason you are stopped is because it appears your registration is out/insurance isnt on file/issue with tags/etc. Gimme a few minutes to sort this out" instead of "Hey, the reason you are stopped is because it looks like you may have multiple felony warrants or your car and your description match the description of a burglary we just had. Mind just waiting here for a minute?" One tends to keep folks a bit calmer and less likely to do stupid stuff.

[Twist]

Exactly that.

The thing that really got me on the first incident about the “stolen vehicle” thing, is one of the other Constables that pulled up while I was being detained and then told I was free to go had to come tell me what the deal was.

I can imagines the guy who actually pulled me over was PO’d about the entire turn of events, but come on. Not everyone is irrational, and all I wanted was an explanation which shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Like I inferred earlier, the vast majority of interactions I’ve had with LEO have been perfectly fine. But in an instance like that, just an explanation and a little communication goes a very long way.

[tvc184]

Exactly that.

The thing that really got me on the first incident about the “stolen vehicle” thing, is one of the other Constables that pulled up while I was being detained and then told I was free to go had to come tell me what the deal was.

I can imagines the guy who actually pulled me over was PO’d about the entire turn of events, but come on. Not everyone is irrational, and all I wanted was an explanation which shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Like I inferred earlier, the vast majority of interactions I’ve had with LEO have been perfectly fine. But in an instance like that, just an explanation and a little communication goes a very long way.

That for some reason is the hardest thing to teach.

[boy wonder]

At my old job, a vehicle was stolen. It was found a few days later in a DART parking area in S. Dallas by a license plate scanner looking for stolen vehicles. They said it had been in/out of the parking lot several times. Waited a couple of days to see if they could catch someone driving it but no luck.

[ParanoidBlues]

We have these all over the UK, usually at petrol stations and they use them to enforce people getting their car inspections and paying their road taxes.