KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The instillation of license plate reader (LPR) cameras has been paused, Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said Monday morning.
KCSO plans to keep operating its existing LPR program as it did before it was awarded an expansion grant. Spangler said he is confident presumptive Sheriff-elect Brent Gibson will review the program and the policies governing it.
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Spangler said the technology helped KCSO solve countless crimes, find many missing people with Silver Alerts and recover an elementary-aged girl who had been kidnapped and had suffered from her abductor. Spangler said KCSO has always had policies and procedures around LPR technology and strengthened these policies after a grant expansion.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has criticized these cameras, citing privacy concerns, and called for a potential ban until further state or federal regulations are passed and in place.
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Any cameras or readers that were up before the mayor’s post on Wednesday remain active, according to a KCSO Lieutenant…