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Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

alpranalysis.com

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Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#11

Post by joecool1029 »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #7
joecool1029 wrote: post #5

The county lists are wrong, at least they are for my state of New Jersey. We have 21 counties, not 27. Is it picking up the bordering counties that might have overlapping contracts or something?

One of those counties is Rockland, which is in NY. I wonder if it's counting bordering counties for states, since the assumption may be that the closest essential services for some Rockland residents may be in New Jersey.

I know at least in Rockland's case, their power utility extends slightly into NJ. Can see it on statewide power outage trackers like this one: https://projects.nj.com/data/outagetracker/

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#12

Post by yannyu »

I've thought about this a lot as I see more and more reckless driving in the areas I live in. Surveillance is generally a net negative, but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights. We seem to have a worst of all situations where traffic is getting increasingly difficult to enforce, driving is getting more dangerous year by year, and we're terrified of government overreach if we add any automation at all to enforcement.

I don't know the solution, but I do know that in the US we've lost 10-15 years of progress when it comes to traffic fatalities.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#13

Post by sodality2 »

yannyu wrote: post #12

I've thought about this a lot as I see more and more reckless driving in the areas I live in. Surveillance is generally a net negative, but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights. We seem to have a worst of all situations where traffic is getting increasingly difficult to enforce, driving is getting more dangerous year by year, and we're terrified…

These cameras are currently not used at all for traffic/speed enforcement. The best they would do is track more serious crimes like hit-and-runs by photographing cars in the area.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#14

Post by chaps »

yannyu wrote: post #12

I've thought about this a lot as I see more and more reckless driving in the areas I live in. Surveillance is generally a net negative, but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights. We seem to have a worst of all situations where traffic is getting increasingly difficult to enforce, driving is getting more dangerous year by year, and we're terrified…

  > but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights.
This is not what Flock seeks to curb.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#15

Post by yannyu »

sodality2 wrote: post #13
yannyu wrote: post #12

I've thought about this a lot as I see more and more reckless driving in the areas I live in. Surveillance is generally a net negative, but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights. We seem to have a worst of all situations where traffic is getting increasingly difficult to enforce, driving is getting more dangerous year by year, and we're terrified…

These cameras are currently not used at all for traffic/speed enforcement. The best they would do is track more serious crimes like hit-and-runs by photographing cars in the area.

Ah, that's helpful and something for me to learn more about. Thanks for the info.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#16

Post by toomuchtodo »

s1mon wrote: post #8

I understand why these statistics may be interesting, but all I really want to see is a map of the locations of the ALPR cameras. I would add an easy link to that data on this site.

https://ringmast4r.github.io/FLOCK/

https://deflock.me/

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#17

Post by Barathkanna »

This is great work. Once ALPR coverage is dense enough that you can’t go anywhere without generating a permanent record, the “mere observation” argument falls apart. Mapping this openly is one of the few ways communities can actually understand what they’ve signed up for.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#18

Post by stronglikedan »

hamdingers wrote: post #4

100% coverage seems like an inevitability in a country where filming in public is a constitutionally protected right and networked ALPR capability is possible (if not regularly offered yet) in commodity doorbell cameras.

> filming in public is a constitutionally protected right

As with everything, there's much nuance to this "right".

https://consumerrights.wiki/w/Common_Questions,_Arguments,_%...

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#19

Post by ruthie_cohen »

If I was American I would certainly be using this tool as a consideration when moving / buying a new house.

I’ve watched a lot of the coverage by Benn Jordan on Flock cameras and their inherent vulnerabilities, and it’s deeply concerning.

The applications of these technologies far outpaces appropriate checks and balances, and the increasing fusion between law enforcement, intelligence and private industry is largely ignored by the larger population.

Thanks for developing this, it’s important to visualise the virus-like spread of these technologies and see where it is concentrated.

Re: Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

#20

Post by fortran77 »

hamdingers wrote: post #4

100% coverage seems like an inevitability in a country where filming in public is a constitutionally protected right and networked ALPR capability is possible (if not regularly offered yet) in commodity doorbell cameras.

I'm a private citizen. On my house we have an ALPR Axis camera pointing down the street (in addition to Axis cameras around the whole perimiter.) And when the police ask, we almost always provide them with data. I feel perfectly justified doing this, and we've helped solved several crimes.
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