By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Seeing is believing. That could be the mantra of Lt. Frank Clark of the South Portland Police Department.

On Feb. 5, Clark will ask legislators in Augusta to support technology that could help police identify criminals through license plate recognition. He’ll also give legislators considering banning the technology a first-hand demonstration of the system.  

“We’ll bring a car to the hearing (on Feb. 5),” Clark said. “After they see what the system does, I hope that will alleviate some of the concerns and misconceptions out there.”

The technology, used on one cruiser in South Portland, is called Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR). The system’s three cameras mounted atop a police cruiser can photograph license plates and compare them to plate numbers on an established “hot list” from local, state and national data bases. The system immediately alerts an officer if it finds a license plate matched to wanted persons, Amber alerts or stolen vehicles.

A bill to regulate the use of traffic surveillance cameras is currently pending before the Legislature. If enacted into law, the bill would ban the technology. 

The South Portland Police Department began using  the ALPR system Jan. 7. Since then, the system has recorded 53 hits, according to Lt. Todd Bernard. However, several dozen of those were “test” hits and the rest were for out-of-state cars with plate numbers that matched Maine cars. 

Bernard said the technology has not resulted in any arrests in South Portland. He expects the arrest rate to increase as more officers are trained to use the system. Currently, 10 members of the department know how to operate the system, Bernard said.

 South Portland’s system, the only one in the state, was funded through a federal technology grant.  Without the grant, the equipment would have cost $20,000, Clark said.

State Sen. Larry Bliss (D-South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough) recently took a test drive in the ALPR-equipped cruiser and said the hands-on approach made him a proponent of the technology.

“I was very impressed and do not think there is any danger to the public,” Bliss said. “This will help find stolen vehicles and increase public safety.”

ALPR opponents say it’s an invasion of privacy.

“Personally, I do not favor the broad use of this technology,” said State Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Hancock) in a statement sent by e-mail.

“I am deeply concerned that the data bases that can be linked to these captured images can be too great and that information gleaned from such linkages will be an extreme intrusion into our individual privacy and an egregious violation of our personal rights and freedoms,” he said. “I am also concerned that the information housed in these police data bases can be used inappropriately and that it can be accessed by unauthorized persons or groups.” 

Clark said the data is stored for 30 days before being automatically deleted. Only two officers can retrieve data and the police chief must approve all data retrieval requests to make sure no unauthorized persons get access to the information.

Bob Schwartz, executive director of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, supports ALPR technology. 

“If it makes the streets safer for the citizens of this state, it’s a necessary tool that should be used,” he said.

Damon is co-chairman of the transportation committee and the bill’s primary sponsor. 

“I am sponsoring LD 1561 because I feel the public should know that the capability of tracking their movements exists and that the opportunity for that tracking is currently in Maine,” Damon said. 

“I want the public to be aware of that and to tell the Legislature their [the public’s] thoughts concerning that issue.”

The Maine Civil Liberties Union also supports the passage of this bill, according to its Web site. The MCLU did not respond to telephone or e-mail inquiries as of press time.

Clark said many law enforcement officials are expected to testify against the bill at the public hearing Feb. 5, including South Portland Police Chief Ed Googins and representatives from the Maine Association of Police.

Schwartz said the Maine Chiefs of Police Association Board of Directors voted Jan. 13 to oppose the bill. Schwartz also said he conducted a recent poll of police departments around the U.S. and found 19 states currently allows use of ALPR systems, including Massachusetts, Virginia and Florida. 

Schwartz said he has never heard of a state banning the technology.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.