Danbury Police Chief Defends License Plate Readers

Along with , police and local officials in and elsewhere also face criticism over how law enforcement officers use information they get from electronic license plate readers.

An article in the Danbury News-Times quotes Danbury Police Chief Alan Baker opposing any restriction on how long police can retain the information from the devices, which are mounted in police cars and are used to identify unregistered, uninsured or stolen vehicles.

The American Civil Liberties Union wants the state to prohibit local police from compiling databases of information they get from the plate readers. The article quoted an ACLU official saying the information is not presently being misused, but it might be as more and more police cars are equipped with them.