There will be more public and board of trustee discussion regarding privacy concerns before proposed license plate reader cameras are installed in Canton Township, noted Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham Hudak.
The devices, proposed by Canton police officials, would be funded by a $40,710 grant from the Bureau of Justice, were described as an investigative tool in instances of retail fraud. Police have proposed installing the LPRs as the cameras are called, at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Beck Road where several big box stores are located. The devices photograph vehicles and record license plate numbers along with the date, time and the make, model and color of the vehicle as it passes, officials said.
The cameras do not record or photograph the driver or occupants of the vehicle or provide any other information. More information is available to police, however, through a secondary data search, if warranted. The information is stored and managed by police and can be shared with other law enforcement agencies.The license plate numbers can be compared to a list compiled by law enforcement agencies of vehicles involved with a crime. Police said the cameras would be useful in locating wanted subjects, stolen vehicles, amber alerts, missing persons or even an individual on a terrorist watch list. They would be used in Canton for traffic enforcement, stolen vehicles and other instances and would provide 24 hour, seven day a week recording at the area.
More than 30,000 vehicles use the Beck and Michigan Avenue area every day, and this is the highest area of retail fraud in the township, according to Canton Police Capt. Mike Kennedy, who explained the use of cameras to the board of trustees during a meeting last month. Located in the area are Home Depot, Walmart and Target along with numerous other retailers.
Canton police have already used the LPR system in a test last May near Haggerty and Joy roads, Kennedy said. The camera was used to locate a suspect in a sexual conduct incident and a man with a third drunk driving charge who hit a gas pump with his vehicle.
Township officials were concerned with privacy issues regarding the LPRs. Township Clerk Michael Siegrist said while he felt the cameras were a useful tool in controlling the retail fraud which occurs in the specific area proposed for the cameras. He cautioned, however, that he would favor a targeted approach and would not favor any situation where there would be LPRs at every street corner.
“We're not surveilling neighborhoods,” he said. Trustees questioned the accessibility of the data collected and asked if it would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act rules. Trustee Sommer Foster suggested more discussion and community involvement was necessary. She said current concerns about privacy and cyber security were prevalent.
Police officials acknowledged the controversial nature of the devices with regard to privacy issues but noted the LPRs are in use in multiple nearby and surrounding communities, and by Michigan State Police.
Graham-Hudak closed the discussion noting that the issue will come back before the board in a public meeting before any further action is taken.
