Republican State Representative Tom Gann led an interim study before the House Public Safety Committee on legislation governing the use of automatic license plate readers or ALPRs — also known by the brand name Flock, which are the type of cameras currently being used in Oklahoma City.
Gann said under current Oklahoma statute, ALPRs can only be used to show whether a motorist has auto insurance. His concern is that data collected by the cameras has been used beyond what the law allows, as there is evidence which suggests law enforcement officers in Oklahoma and across the country have used the technology to track people.
Study presenters included criminal defense attorney and University of Tulsa law professor Shena Burgess, former Logan County commissioner Marven Goodman, and Alasdair Whitney, the legislative counsel for the Institute for Justice.
Whitney is pursuing a federal lawsuit in Virginia filed by citizens who claim they are being constantly monitored by Flock cameras.
"We believe this is not law enforcement but mass surveillance and it's unconstitutional," he said,
Presenters suggested filing legislation to create consequences for agencies that use ALPR data illegally.
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