NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was the last chance to hear from the candidates for Nashville mayor all on one stage before next month's election.
Thursday at American Baptist College, the candidates tackled several new topics, including one that's generated controversy in recent weeks: license plate readers.
While Metro Police say, the tools target crime where it happens, the director of Metro's Community Oversight Board has said the readers seem to be adversely impacting Nashville's poor and non-white communities.
Here's some of what each of the eight candidates at Thursday's mayoral debate had to say about license plate readers:
Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville): "License plate readers in and of themselves are not a bad thing, and they can be very useful, but we do need to make sure they're being employed in a way that doesn't discriminate against any group of people."
Jim Gingrich, retired COO, Alliance Bernstein: "LPR's show promise, there are legitimate concerns raised, we have to make sure we deal with properly, but it is ultimately going to be a part of the solution."
Vivian Wilhoite, Davidson County Property Assessor: "When we do this, we don't just do it in some communities -- the reason people feel there's discrimination is because of the fact they're in communities that keep them from going over to Heidi [Campbell's] or my friend here [Sen. Jeff Yarbro], his community."
Alice Rolli, former state economic development official: "They were, in this pilot, used in too concentrated an area. However, we do have data, as council lady Hurt pointed out, from many satellite cities in the county also using license plate readers."
Councilwoman at-large Sharon Hurt: "I had a nephew who was killed, and they found the killer with a license plate reader, so I have a personal connection, and I do believe they can be useful, but they have to be appropriately used."
Councilman Freddie O'Connell: I think the thing you got to be careful about is any data that can be persisted can be hacked. You don't want victims, people with medical and health issues tracked with their movements around the city, and that's what we need to pay attention to."
Matt Wiltshire, former Nashville economic development director: "I think the move by the state to overturn what was passed by the citizens of Nashville was absolutely the wrong thing and erodes trust, and makes the citizens less comfortable with things like license plate readers -- these things are integrated into each other."
Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville): "People need to trust that law enforcement is going to use that well. I think that until I see that, I wouldn't want to see a full deployment, but I believe with leadership, we can build that trust."
