ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke residents are speaking out about Flock cameras — automated license plate readers that some say are a valuable public safety tool, while others warn they go too far when it comes to personal privacy.
Steven Keener, a criminology professor at Christopher Newport University, says the cameras collect far more than just license plate numbers.
“Every time you drive by one, it takes a picture of your vehicle. And it’s not just your license plate that is captured by that camera. It is your license plate, the make and model, the car, the color, the bumper sticker. If you have roof racks and other additions, that is immediately fit into a police database,” Keener said…