title
An ordinance amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws to pertaining to the use of License Plate Scanner (LPR) Technology in the public rights-of-way.
body
WHEREAS, the use of
LPRs in Davidson County represents a significant intensification of resident surveillance; and
WHEREAS, and use of
LPRs should be done in a measured manner that permits the Council maximum flexibility to reevaluate the way the technology is used; and
WHEREAS, a recent study published by the United States Department of Justice found "significantly lower levels of trust in police" among test subjects who encountered mentions of law enforcement using
LPRs as compared to a control group; and
WHEREAS, the Vallejo (California) Police Department found that 37 percent of "hits" from fixed
LPRs were, in fact, misreads, some of which led to unwarranted stops and traumatic encounters; and
WHEREAS, data from
LPRs is scheduled to become subject to Tennessee's Public Records Act; and
WHEREAS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts with LPR operators to target deportations; and
WHEREAS, there are recorded instances of law enforcement using
LPRs to surveil Muslim communities and target suspected gang members despite such lists being notoriously far-reaching and unreliable; and
WHEREAS, license plate readers can lead criminals to modify their behavior, such as stealing plates with greater frequency or obscuring their license plates, to thwart any benefit of these devices; and
WHEREAS, the abuse of license plate reader data can be mitigated by limiting reader use to those that are mobile in nature and by implementing policies that regulate the use of mobile readers.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code is hereby amended by deleting Subsection G in its entirety and replacing it with the following:
1. It is lawful for the Metropolitan Go...
Click here for full text