SCANNING LICENSE PLATES

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Matt Murray <mattm () optonline net>
Date: February 21, 2009 9:26:29 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: mattm () optonline net
Subject: SCANNING LICENSE PLATES

From today's Hartford Courant.
Matt Murray

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-platescanner0221.artfeb21,0,4703882.story

SCANNING LICENSE PLATES
 An Electronic Eye On Scofflaws
 By BILL LEUKHARDT
 bleukhardt () courant com
  Here’s what a cash cow looks like— atruckwithtwo shoe-box-size  
black boxes with red camera lenses mounted on the hood.
  Last year, New Haven put four of these vehicles on its 127 miles of  
city roads, scanning the license plates of parked and moving vehicles.  
The targets were cars registered to motor vehicle tax deadbeats and  
parking ticket scofflaws. Offenders’ vehicles were seized, not to be  
returned until their debts were paid.
  The take for 2008?
  More than $2.7 million in back taxes, tickets and penalties. Not  
bad for an investment of about $100,000 for cameras, computer  
databases and equipment, said C.J. Cuticello, New Haven’s tax collector.
  “That’s a pretty good return,” Cuticello said Thursday after  
announcing the resumption of the program, sidelined for three months  
by winter. The city estimates that there is at least $2 million in  
back car taxes and parking tickets to collect from deadbeats this year.
  New Haven was the first municipality in the state to launch such a  
program, beginning it in 2004 and honing it into an aggressive  
moneymaker.
  Now New Britain and other Connecticut cities are considering  
similar programs to raise more revenue during a deepening recession.  
In January, New Britain’s common council approved spending $21,000 to  
buy a plate scanner to hunt for scofflaws, and to give police a tool  
to find cars reported missing or plates reported stolen.
  Meriden, Danbury and West Haven officials contacted New Haven in  
recent years to learn about the city’s revenue collection system,  
Cuticello said.
  Bridgeport and Hartford have already started their versions of this  
plate-scanner program. Others are in the works.
  West Haven is preparing to launch its program, hoping to rake in a  
large chunk of the estimated $3.7 million owed in delinquent motor  
vehicle taxes.
  “We’re trying to maximize revenue,” said Robert Sandella, West  
Haven’s collector of delinquent taxes.
  “We looked at this program a few years ago, but the city had other  
issues at the time. We revisited it six months ago.
  We’re about to kick off a media campaign to let taxpayers know  
about it.”
  It’s obvious why municipalities are on a money hunt these days with  
foreclosures, layoffs and budget cuts eroding revenue, said Kevin  
Maloney, a spokesman for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities,  
a lobbying group representing about 150 of the state’s 169 cities and  
towns.
  “Generally, I think you’ll see more of this type of activity, with  
the downturn in the economy and struggle to keep state aid,” Maloney  
said.
  “You’re seeing a lot of towns looking for ways to increase revenue  
without increasing property taxes.”
  Some police departments already have plate scanners but only for  
criminal investigations, such as hunting for stolen cars.
  Norwalk police recently ordered two of the cameras for its  
department.
  Law enforcement was the initial use for these devices, first  
deployed by police a decade ago in Great Britain, and now used by an  
estimated 1,000 U.S. police departments, according to security  
industry reports. Large departments using plate scanners include New  
York, Ohio and Arizona state police and police in Denver, Tampa, Fla.,  
Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
  When Cuticello saw a plate scanner field-tested in 2004 in New  
Haven, he saw how helpful the technology could be for tax collection,  
a use suggested by the device’s manufacturer. The test quickly found  
cars whose owners owed $1,010 in back taxes, he recalled.
  “Before this program, our collection rate was in the 80 percent  
range. Now we’re at 98 percent,” he said.
  New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart said he was convinced of the  
potential when a five-minute test of the scanner flagged three cars  
downtown registered to scofflaws.
  New Britain deadbeats owe nearly $1 million in unpaid parking  
tickets and nearly $16 million in overdue car taxes dating back 15  
years, so the chances of making money are good.
  The scanner hasn’t been ordered yet. Stewart said that city lawyers  
are drafting policies to cover use of the scanner for revenue  
collection and criminal investigations.
  He does not want police to act as bill collectors.
  New Britain Police Chief William Gagliardi said that the scanner’s  
ability to check dozens of plates a minute makes it easier for an  
officer to find stolen plates and missing cars or vehicles wanted in  
connection with a crime.
  “There are legitimate policing functions for those cameras.
  When we run into vehicles [whose owners owe] back taxes and parking  
tickets, we will refer those to the tax department and other  
appropriate city agencies to follow up,” Gagliardi said.
  The scanner’s database allows the device to be a Swiss Army knife- 
type of tool with many uses. It can contain various lists of plates  
from law enforcement, city finance and other sources, the chief said.
  Joseph Faughnan, Clinton’s police chief, said that his department  
field-tested a plate scanner last November and December for the  
manufacturer and found it to be an amazing investigative machine.
  “The number of cars it can screen is phenomenal,” said Faughnan,  
whose department cannot afford to buy one. “You could never do this  
amount of work with 10 cops on a corner.” Cities deploying the devices  
say they are mindful of civil liberties. In New Haven, the scanning  
vehicles do not go onto private property. As for invasion of privacy  
concerns, police say the devices are just a faster way to do what cops  
do daily — run license plates.
  Some police departments using the devices purge the data after 30  
days.
  Matthew Reimondo, police chief in East Hampton and president of the  
Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said that any municipality  
getting one of these devices shouldn’t let police use it in any way  
that blurs the line between civil revenue collection and criminal  
police investigation.
  “We don’t collect those taxes. We’re not an arm of that agency,”  
Reimondo said.
  “These are the kinds of legal issues raised by cutting-edge  
technology.”
Copyright © 2009 Hartford Courant 02/21/2009




-------------------------------------------
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com