Big Brother Is Watching: Texas Senate Endorses Camera Based License Identification System

The Texas state Senate voted Monday to give federal, state and local authorities the ability to track and identify every passing vehicle on state highways. The provision calling for "automatic license plate identification cameras" was slipped into the Senate version of the must-pass Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reauthorization bill. The provision was not part of the bill introduced in the state House of Representatives, whose less sympathetic members will have to accept or reject the entire 1274-page compromise hammered out by a conference committee. The House voted yesterday to instruct its conferees to insist that the House-passed ban on red light cameras remain in the final text.

The Senate's surveillance camera proposal promises taxpayer funds to the same private companies that operate photo radar and red light camera systems threatened by the House bill. License plate readers use the same basic technology as automated ticketing machines. Instead of tracking, for example, only those who exceed a certain speed threshold, the plate readers will store a video image of the front passenger compartment and rear license plate of every single passing vehicle. Optical character recognition software identifies the registered vehicle owner and allows for easy indexing of the time and location of travel for each person identified using the highway.

The Senate-passed bill gives police broad authority for the first time to use this information to prosecute any state or federal crime, as long as it is not a traffic violation "punishable by fine only." The bill also specifies that the cameras may be used to find suspects in amber alert cases, missing senior citizens and those accused of killing a police officer. The capability to search for suspects is exactly what troubles one civil rights group.

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Runamukk - 5/29/2009 3:29:26 PM

+2 Boost

this is bs

Agent00R - 5/29/2009 3:59:58 PM

+2 Boost

Unnecessary usage of camera technology.

The example of the tragedy in the UK is a fine example of why this technology should NOT be utilized.

KZ258 - 5/29/2009 10:17:57 PM

+1 Boost

dude you need to calm down lol. we all cant be perfect, gov't kiss @$$ activist

WorldofLuxury - 5/30/2009 2:18:15 AM

+2 Boost

lol
Tax dollars spent on things that are trying to increase tax revenue, but only this time, the people won't be as happy.

09CTSVforMe - 5/31/2009 10:18:46 AM

+1 Boost

Alarmist title; check

Stereotyping an entire population; check

Negative commentsby people who didn't read the whole article; check

Adding now; the points why those people should read the whole article:
- "to insist that the House-passed ban on red light cameras remain in the final text."
- "to use this information to prosecute any state or federal crime, as long as it is not a traffic violation "punishable by fine only."

Now all we need is for someone to bash my reply and pigeonhole me as some preconcieved label even though they don't know me, and we can wrap up this entire autospies post!

Agent009 - 6/1/2009 8:29:52 AM

+2 Boost

This is merely a redirect of revenues for the red light camera companies. since red light cameras are on the verge of being banned in Texas, they have devised this system using the same technology to sell to the state under a different umbrella.

09CTSVforMe - 6/3/2009 1:54:54 PM

+2 Boost

Right, and I'd much rather they look for real criminals with it vs. increasing revenues (and wrecks) at red lights. I'll be sure to smile for the cameras as I pass.

vwrules - 5/31/2009 11:00:18 AM

+3 Boost

Never thought Texas would become the UK.Hell in Illinois we have pissed away are freedoms to the point we almost need a passaport to go from county to county and if your a gun owner your a real troublemaker.Texas you better stop this stuff!!!

The_FNG - 6/4/2009 6:53:44 PM

+2 Boost

Search Google for posts on all of the "speed cameras" that have been destroyed, or damaged in the UK. There are several websites that post this info. UK is much further along in becoming "Big Brother"