ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A provision included in North Carolina’s new state budget expands where law enforcement agencies can install automated license plate readers, allowing the cameras to be placed on state-maintained roads statewide for the first time.
For drivers in Asheville and Western North Carolina, the change means the technology could eventually appear along major corridors such as Interstate 26, Interstate 40, U.S. 74 and other state-maintained highways if local law enforcement agencies choose to participate.
The change was included in Senate Bill 257, the state’s $34.4 billion budget, which Gov. Josh Stein signed into law July 7. Because North Carolina governors do not have line-item veto authority, Stein could either sign or veto the entire budget, but could not reject individual provisions. While signing the measure, Stein called the budget one with “real flaws.”…