Nationwide, more law enforcement agencies are adopting license plate readers to solve crimes including speeding, vehicle thefts, and missing persons cases.
Last week, the New Mexico State Police used these computer-controlled cameras to arrest a suspect in the fatal shooting at the University of New Mexico. Lawmakers on Wednesday discussed the advantages and disadvantages of this technology with an eye on possible legislation to regulate it.
Jeremy Story, chief of police for Las Cruces said implementing license plate readers in his city has led to 740 hits.
“Technology has really transformed how we respond to auto theft, which helps people, also helps with insurance rates, and there's a lot of other ancillary benefits to it,” he said.
Las Cruces and Bernalillo County use license plate reader systems from Flock Safety, which has come under scrutiny due to federal officials using the technology for immigration enforcement.
Bernalillo County has 5 plate readers while Las Cruces currently has 23 and plans to install 20 more.
Las Cruces is ranked 18th in auto thefts nationwide and Albuquerque is 4th, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
However, the technology also makes mistakes. Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) questioned the security of data and whether that could be sold to third parties.
John Allen, sheriff of Bernalillo County said that he hopes other law agencies are not selling their information. He said his office is willing to share data with other law enforcement agencies but will carefully review each request.
“So the elephant in the room is if someone is coming across state lines from Texas to New Mexico for women's health care, we will not give them that information at all,” he said.
Wirth agreed with the Sheriff's comment but still has concerns.
“The reality is, nothing prevents a different agency from having a different interpretation, and that's why I think this legislation is important,” he said.
Members of the Science, Technology and Telecommunications interim committee recommended exploring legislative solutions to establish statewide guidelines for the technology.
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