Is it a key new tool to get criminals off the streets -- or a way for the government to invade your privacy?
The Department of Homeland Security wants to create a nationwide database with every American's license plate number according to a posting the agency issued looking for vendors to build the tracking system. But there are few details about what privacy safeguards would be put in place.
Under the plan, an officer could snap a picture of your plate with an iPhone and immediately be notified if it's on a list of "target vehicles." The license plate readers alert police if the driver is a wanted criminal or driving a stolen car.
While such a system is already in place in several spots around the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants a nationwide database.
Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for DHS's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), told the Washington Post the database "could only be accessed in conjunction with ongoing criminal investigations or to locate wanted individuals."
According to Christensen, such a system would reduce the amount time required for surveillance and would give agents a greater ability to locate potential threats to public safety.
Florida driver Justin Davis thinks this would be an invasion of privacy.
"It’s becoming too much," Davis told Orlando TV station WFTV. "(The tracking system) could be used to pull somebody over or harass them."
In 2012, WFTV reported Orlando police had scanned more than 38,000 plates, but only 557, or 1.4 percent, were connected to criminals.
“People who trust the government might say, ‘What matters, I have nothing to hide,’” said Jim Harper with the Cato Institute. “People who don't trust the government might worry because they worry about a future where the government isn't as friendly as it is today.”
—The Associated Press contributed
