PADUCAH, KY (WSIL) 鈥� Paducah is expanding its use of license plate cameras throughout the city.
"This is just utilizing technology that's in existence," said Paducah police chief Brian Laird.
However, some question if that's necessary.
"I still feel it's like an invasion of privacy," said Ryan Mallon, who is concerned about privacy issues. "I think that I don't know, automated surveillance shouldn't be like a thing."
But according to Chief Laird, these cameras have proven to be a vital tool for his department.
"What this does is essentially, in a way, it allows us, to put it where these cameras are to put a police officer on those corners and to be able to check the vehicles that are coming into our city and identify the people that are here to commit crime," he said.
The program started with six cameras and will soon expand to 21.
"We placed them out in a couple of high-traffic areas," said Laird.
That's after the city council voted Tuesday to purchase 15 more cameras.
"They basically read the license plate on vehicles that pass by, and then they run that through the National Crime Information Center," Laird said.
And with these cameras, Laird says it's like officers patrolling that area.
"Say a stolen vehicle drives past one of those cameras Within seconds, there's, an alert that is sent to our dispatch center, and then they confirm that information," said Laird. "They verify that the vehicle matches the entry that's in the system and then they will pass that information on to our officers."
The cameras aren't meant to replace the men and women in uniform, but Laird hopes people will see their need and the positives they bring.
"As a police department and as a city, we are utilizing the technology that's there to do our best to try to keep our community safe," said Laird.
