New OPP cameras scan licence plates

[Macs]

All directions? Rubbish

I'll try to find the CBC spot and post it. It showed a minivan doing 121 from the rear left, and tracked its speed all the way down to 102 when it passed the cop. I think in total it showed 3 or 4 speeds, so virtually all directions.

Jamie I think the Insurance database is linked up to the police system.

 

[Sabex]

Police can't check for valid insurance unless they call the insurance company and specifically ask about your policy. Insurance is privately owned, it has no connection to the province or police.

So if your insurance runs out/gets canceled, but you still have a pink slip that's "valid" a cop won't know if you really have insurance or not (which is why you see some people selling fake pinks.) Until you get into an accident and they try to make a claim that is; then they find out and nail you hard.

Chances are they were just asking to see if he did or not.

 

[LannyNguyen]

What these cameras do is run the plates.
On their laptops they will show a mug shot of the owner/register. (The picture of the owner when they got their license)
They will check if he/she has any warrants, license suspensions, and driving probations.

The plate is basically important because it helps track down criminals. Picture a drive by shooting, witnesses are key. Once they get details on the person driving the vehicle, and the plate number, it is very easy to track where the owner of the vehicle lives.

What you guys don't know is camera INSIDE the vehicle is always recording. TPS recently got new cameras in the cruisers. So, when you get pulled over, it takes 30seconds before the sirens came on in the DVR system. So when you go to court, they have video proof of why you got pulled over.

 

[veno78]

What you guys don't know is camera INSIDE the vehicle is always recording. TPS recently got new cameras in the cruisers. So, when you get pulled over, it takes 30seconds before the sirens came on in the DVR system. So when you go to court, they have video proof of why you got pulled over.

Does OPP have this?

 

[LannyNguyen]

Does OPP have this?

Not yet, and they will get them soon.
Americans are a step ahead on the technology for law enforcement.
TPS is getting up to date.

 

[fastar1]

If you got nothing to hide, why worry ?

While I don't object to this particular use of surveillance, that argument is fallacious. Otherwise, why not give the cops free access to your home on any whim?

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/the-data-trust-blog/2009/02/debunking-a-myth-if-you-have-n.html

It's not about having anything to hide, it's about having something to protect. Our privacy, security, and protection from the risk of overreaching legislative powers.

 

[Macs]

While I don't object to this particular use of surveillance, that argument is fallacious. Otherwise, why not give the cops free access to your home on any whim?

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/the-data-trust-blog/2009/02/debunking-a-myth-if-you-have-n.html

It's not about having anything to hide, it's about having something to protect. Our privacy, security, and protection from the risk of overreaching legislative powers.

Very well said. I couldn't think up anything without sounding like I wear a tin foil hat.

Even if I had nothing to hide (not saying I do) the idea of someone, especially a government entity which is what the police are at the end of the day, knowing too much about my life or me as a person bothers the hell out of me. My computer and network is locked down tigter than fort knox. I'm not doing anything illegal online, but it's my property and my space.

 

[N3WMAN]

The plate scanner's arent providing anything more than is already accessible to any patrol car. Your license plate is clearly visible to anyone and the police can run it if they chose to or not. The cameras just automate the process and allow for much more scanning with much less work.

I don't like losing privacy as much as the next guy but they aren't doing anything more than can already be done.

 

[Macs]

The plate scanner's arent providing anything more than is already accessible to any patrol car. Your license plate is clearly visible to anyone and the police can run it if they chose to or not. The cameras just automate the process and allow for much more scanning with much less work.

I don't like losing privacy as much as the next guy but they aren't doing anything more than can already be done.

It's not about this, this really isn't anything to get up in arms about. It's just that the "if you're innocent why worry" attitude is the wrong one to have. Why give up your rights with no fight? Again, not talking about plate scanners.

 

[caboose56]

How is this a loss of privacy?? Your plates have always been on display. All this info was just a phone call away for the police. Now, instead of a cop calling in a plate and someone else running it on a computer... a camera does it.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[fastar1]

How is this a loss of privacy?? Your plates have always been on display. All this info was just a phone call away for the police. Now, instead of a cop calling in a plate and someone else running it on a computer... a camera does it.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

It's not a loss of privacy, unless they keep a record of all the plates they scan, their locations and dates. But I'm pretty sure they wouldn't do that.

The point was just to rebuke the "if you have nothing to hide" fallacy, since that rationale could be extended to dismiss concerns where very real breaches of privacy could occur, like unwarranted searches.

 

[just_luc]

...unless they keep a record of all the plates they scan, their locations and dates. But I'm pretty sure they wouldn't do that.

LOL.. that's a joke right?

I'm not apposed to this in any way, I think it's a good use of technology to automate the search for stolen cars and known fugitives, in fact I think it should be expanded and taped into traffic cams, gas station cams, etc.. make it so you can go a block in any direction with a stolen vehicle without setting off an alarm somewhere.. but you are out of your mind if you don't think the scanner logs each plate it scan with a gps coordinate and time stamp and transmits that back to the HQ.

 

[spankayf]

I'll try to find the CBC spot and post it. It showed a minivan doing 121 from the rear left, and tracked its speed all the way down to 102 when it passed the cop. I think in total it showed 3 or 4 speeds, so virtually all directions.

Jamie I think the Insurance database is linked up to the police system.

Don't bother ..... police radar has the capability of front and rear direction, multiple targets, and threshold alerts for years but all directions no

 

[Scuba Steve]

Police can't check for valid insurance unless they call the insurance company and specifically ask about your policy. Insurance is privately owned, it has no connection to the province or police.

So if your insurance runs out/gets canceled, but you still have a pink slip that's "valid" a cop won't know if you really have insurance or not (which is why you see some people selling fake pinks.) Until you get into an accident and they try to make a claim that is; then they find out and nail you hard.

Chances are they were just asking to see if he did or not.

The MTO is linked to the insurance companies online now.

 

[FiReSTaRT]

Best use found, apparently, was recognizing stolen cars/plates. If they used them in T.O., maybe they would catch that white van involved in so many bike thefts?

White van bike thefts involve scrapping the plates and selling the parts. Maybe some track bikes, but those aren't plated anyway and VIN plates get scraped off, so no go on this count. Maybe the occasional joyrider but the odds are pretty slim.

How is this a loss of privacy?? Your plates have always been on display. All this info was just a phone call away for the police. Now, instead of a cop calling in a plate and someone else running it on a computer... a camera does it.

That is something I'd be ok with as long as there's no information retetntion.

As for the "if you've got nothing to hide argument", that's how they sold absolute phone/Internet surveillance and vans scanning insides of dwellings to the American public. Do we wanna live like them, the Chinese or even worse, the British?

 

[fastar1]

LOL.. that's a joke right?

I'm not apposed to this in any way, I think it's a good use of technology to automate the search for stolen cars and known fugitives, in fact I think it should be expanded and taped into traffic cams, gas station cams, etc.. make it so you can go a block in any direction with a stolen vehicle without setting off an alarm somewhere.. but you are out of your mind if you don't think the scanner logs each plate it scan with a gps coordinate and time stamp and transmits that back to the HQ.

That would be treading into surveillance territory then. As far as I know surveillance still requires a warrant for police forces to use, and when individuals do it, it's called 'stalking' and it's illegal.

If this information were retained with locations and times in some big brother type of database then I would be 100% opposed to it. That would be way over the line. Since photo radar didn't log all that info way back in the day, I'm thinking legislators are aware of the significance of such a measure and would not go there.

Besides, retaining the info wouldn't help catch theives anyways. If the scanned plate doesn't set off any alarms on the spot, then police forces can let the information go and not be any worse off for it.

 

[Sabex]

The MTO is linked to the insurance companies online now.

The following MTO transactions are in scope for UV:

• License plate renewals only

The following vehicles are out of scope:

• Motorcycles

Looks like motorcycles are out of range. And it's only for License plate renewals.

But I get where you're coming from, maybe I should of just said it's not connected to the police instead of not connected to the province+province.

 

[?spoc]

Looks like motorcycles are out of range. And it's only for License plate renewals.

But I get where you're coming from, maybe I should of just said it's not connected to the police instead of not connected to the province+province.

Police can access MTO ISS from the police cruiser. So yes, police can access insurance information.

 

[macrider]

I hope they do scan for insurance or will have the ability to do so soon.
If you do not have insurance please stay off the roads.
I don,t need idiots with no insurance hitting me or my family.

as long as they can't check for validity of insurance I'm good!

 

[Sabex]

Police can access MTO ISS from the police cruiser. So yes, police can access insurance information.

All police units? Or just specific police (like OPP, Peel, TPS, etc.)