NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The future of License Plate Readers in Nashville is still unknown, but the issue continues to divide law enforcement and community leaders.
During Tuesday's joint Metro Council Public Health and Safety and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting, representatives from the Metro Police Department, District Attorney's Office, Nashville Community Oversight Board, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, as well as a public defender presented information on the LPRs to Metro Council members.
Metro Police said the six-month pilot program that ended on July 22 was a success. A total of 71 million license plates were read by the cameras, and 112 arrests were made. Officers said the cameras helped track down stolen vehicles and guns and get dangerous criminals off the streets.
"We can work smarter," said Greg Blair, Deputy Chief at the Metro Police Department. "We put an LPR there. It is cheaper, and it doesn't take a vacation, and it does it more accurately than we do."
Representatives from the District Attorney's office agreed the cameras are needed to help bring justice to crime victims across the city.
"We need every tool in our tool box to solve these crimes," said Jenny Charles, an Assistant District Attorney. "License plate readers are an important part of that."
However, members of the Nashville Community Oversight Board said they don't want to see Music City become "Surveillance City." They presented data that showed the cameras were not equally distributed throughout the city, and the result was certain communities were unfairly targeted.
"People are concerned about the use of LPRs and their placement in low-income, non-white areas of the city," said Jill Fitcheard, executive director of the Nashville Community Oversight Board.
Representatives from the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and a public defender also expressed concerns the technology could lead to over-policing and invasions of privacy and said council members shouldn't rush into a final decision.
"It's hopefully common sense that we would actually do the due diligence before committing to something that may have drastic and unforeseen consequences to the community," said Judith Clerjeune, who represented TIRRC.
After listening to the presentations, Metro Council members decided to hold off on voting on the LPRs so they could have more time to review the data. They will revisit the issue at the next council meeting on Aug. 15.
