Here's a link to the manufacturer of the device.
They have a couple of models.
posted by paulhem at 03:16 P.M. EST on Mon Jul 30, 2007 #
Two sides to this issue:
First: If you don't have outstanding warrants, then don't sweat it. As a police officer, I have used a similar system that scanned license plates ONLY for stolen vehicles. We actually found two stolen cars in one shift. System worked great.
Second: I agree that big brother IS taking over. However, rest assured, I don't think anyone other than fellow officers realize how many people are "let go" on a daily basis that have simple misdemeanor warrants. Sometimes the workload is just too great/busy to deal with simple warrants. We let ALOT of people go without arresting them.
Until the police start opening every container and searcing everyone walking down the street, I don't have a problem with the scanning devices.
posted by Gudshot at 07:21 P.M. EST on Mon Jul 30, 2007 #
What constitutional rights are being violated?
posted by Beowulf at 07:28 P.M. EST on Mon Jul 30, 2007 #
Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Part of this language was included becasue people remembered being pulled over by the British troops and made to show their identity. This was supposed to prevent that.. the cameras go much farther.
posted by prime3end at 09:42 P.M. EST on Mon Jul 30, 2007 #
Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Don't you read? Bush got rid of the 4th Amendment.
posted by SensorG at 07:02 A.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
Your license plate is publically displayed so I don't really think it falls under protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
If you have a warrant out on you, then it would seem the courts have already found probable cause to issue one, so the police should be looking for you
Being pulled over isn't automatically being searched or seized and if those things happen after you're pulled over then I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the officer likely had probable cause to do it.
posted by OhioKat at 09:01 A.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
Your license plate is publically displayed so I don't really think it falls under protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
Exactly.
posted by mom2 at 12:17 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
Yes the plate is publicly displayed, but by knowing where each one is at a given time, the govt knows where you are every day, or has a good idea how to find you. Does anyone really believe they aren't keeping this data, the data on the people without any warrants. I don't. I know too many cops to believe that crap.
The bill of rights will never be outright discarded by the politicians,, a group which I now firmly believe all judges belong to. Instead, they will pick away at each and every one, till there is nothing left but a skeleton. Its not technology that is doing this to us, it si open borders and the corporate thirst for cheap labor. I would throw in the religous zealot idiots belief that God wants us to reproduce and multiply until there are 300 million of us in the country. Unfortunately, most of the illegal aliens certainly think so.
Watch for the bad guys to come across our southern corporate border. Whether allowed, or tolerated, created, or welcomed by Karl Rove et al,we will probably get another one before the next election.
posted by prime3end at 01:22 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
Its tracking the movement of the innocent, in case they turn bad, or maybe just belong to the wrong party, or advocate the wrong things. The real solution is to close/control our border, send the illegals home, and watch the crime rate plummet. Watch education improve, healthcare too, and a slowing of the population rate.
Dope is a crime because govt made it so, but cigs kill far more Americans. Why aren't we sending swat teams after the big tobacco boards of directors?
posted by prime3end at 04:01 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
I would be curious as to the success rate vs the cost of the system to the taxpayer.
I am opposed to this degree of "monitoring" of citizens in this country. I do believe that we are slowly loosing the protection that the fourth amendment of the US Constitution guarantees us. We continue to see our freedoms slowly eroded by a few powerful, and in some cases, self serving public officials relying on the excuse that it is in the good of the majority.
Every time I see one of these "officials" attempting to erode my freedoms, I'm reminded of my oath of enlistment in the United States Armed Forces, "to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic", and I wonder, could these people who are attempting to limit our freedoms be a domestic "enemy" of the citizens of the United States?
Have the citizens of the United States forgotten why this country was established? What our founding fathers risked when they penned the Declaration of Independence?
What is happening with this country when the local (Ottawa County) sheriff arrests six illegal aliens working in a local business and releases three of them back to their "employer" with no punitive action against the employer.
(Fremont News-Messenger, Wed. July 25, 2007).
PORT CLINTON — Three of six illegal aliens arrested this week were released from jail and allowed to return to their jobs at a local tomato farm, the Ottawa County sheriff said.
Immigration and Customers Enforcement chose not to deport Gonzales Adolfo Ayala, 30, Bartolome Santiago, 28, and Heredia Pascual, 33, all of whom have no known address, to their home countries.
The men were arrested Monday during a traffic stop in the Oak Harbor area. Their employer, J&B Tomato Co. owner Charlie Jones, picked them up from the Ottawa County Detention Facility Tuesday, Sheriff Bob Bratton said.)
How many other cases such as this occur in the United States with the same outcome? And law enforcement wants to "monitor" law abiding American Citizens??? I fail to see the legality in this!
As for the fact that you're license plate is publicly displayed on both the front and back of your vehicle, is a poor excuse. You "publicly display" your face when you leave your home. Is this reason to be monitored as well?
"Probable Cause" can be used as a "catch all" at the convenience of law enforcement, and is difficult, if not impossible to defend against! Law enforcement "could" single anyone out for "probable cause", though I would like to believe law biding citizens would not have to fear that. It is still a real possibility.
How many freedoms are we "willing" to loose in the name of "personal safety"? I'm not willing to loose any! How about you?
posted by rick948 at 04:48 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
I can remember when you had the same right to privacy when you were in your car as in your house. Now your phone calls, every one, are scanned, and if you call or receive an overseas calls, consider yourself suspect. If you advocate for an a cause that the ruling party doesn't advocate, consider yourself a target. Homeland security gave the government, all government wide powers to surveil all Americans, and they are using the hell out of it. Sooner or later, the info will be used for political, or commercial purposes.
Illegal aliens continued infiltration of the border, and presence in our country are proof positive that our leaders are ignoring the vast majority of Americans wishes, and giving the corporations what they want which is more and more cheap labor and lower wages for Americans, even worse health care, and making sure that both parents have to work to maintain the status quo. Whose taking care of the kids I wonder. Oh well, as long as they get their cheap labor,, right?
posted by prime3end at 07:01 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
The right to privacy IN your car is a far different thing from privacy regarding your license plate. The rights inside your car have been eroded over time, there has never been an assumption of privacy concerning the display of a license plate. Don't confuse the issues.
As for your concerns about wiretaps and illegal aliens and such...Illegal aliens might pose a security risk, but so far that has not been borne out. Frankly, we have seen bigger threats from the people legally in this country. Labor costs? Until I see a bunch of white guys lined up to pick tomatoes, I'm gonna guess that they are not taking all the jobs. And corporations have no desire for crappy health care. In fact, they'd be happier with a healthy workforce that could perform until age 90.
posted by MoreThanRhetoric at 07:26 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
There is an assumption that the government won't keep a database on your travels however, and that is exactly how this will end up. Its like a slow moving viral infection of the 4th amendment,, like all the amendments.
When and if the Arabs do cross the border to do us harm it will be too late, and will have been entirely too stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Security is security, you close the border, throw out the illegals, and do the only job that the federal government is really firmly and especially empowered to do in the constitution which is to protect our GD borders. Waiting for it to be borne out will be another 911.
Picking tomatoes???????? Perhaps you haven't been south in a while, they have taken over construction jobs in most areas, they work cheap, they have taken over cities in Fla. You should do some research. I lived there and visit there.
The residents of Florida are sick of Cubans and illegals. Nothing happens to fix it though. Why?
posted by prime3end at 09:19 P.M. EST on Tue Jul 31, 2007 #
Hey - 2 easy solutions:
(1) if you have an outstanding invitation to the GrayBar Hotel, DON'T DRIVE!
(2) if ya are wanted for some crime they say you committed (but of course, you didn't) take the plates off your car before you drive it!
Now, see how EASY that is!
posted by Plantman at 02:20 P.M. EST on Wed Aug 01, 2007 #
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