Big Brother? License Plate Cameras

Roadhunter is clueless. These are cameras (mounted either inside or out) that catalog license plates and reference them against any database the user chooses: Deadbeat dads, pseudoephedrine buyers, civil rights activists, journalists, bar customers, anybody worth spying on. They store the data indefinitely, and have been used to build profiles of various people and groups. It's mass-surveillance, plain and simple.

Oliver, you're paranoid and delusional. They are mounting these cameras INSIDE patrol cars! Why would they put speed cameras inside a moving vehicle that already has a radar/laser speed gun? Speed cameras are stationary objects. Furthermore, other states are using such cameras to dramatically increase the rate at which stolen cars are recovered. No personal information or "intelligence" can be gathered with one of these beyond the information on your vehicle's registration form. Grow up!

Does this automatic ticket system reduce the amount of troopers needed? This could be a very valuable tool in tracking the flow of illegals plus the drug traffic coming and going across the border to Mexico. It is a shame that innocent law abiding citizens have to lose their right of privacy, but when some folks think the law applies to everyone but them, then they must be educated to the fact the law applies to everyone. To you mtroyal, I guess your position is that if they can't afford their insurance then just exempt them and just let others pay for their own loss should the uninsured be involved in a accident. I regret that it is a burden on the poor, but we are slowly reaching the point in this country, that if someone cannot afford what they WANT or need, then society is obligated to give it to them at the expense of others. I think there is a word for that way of thinking. I personally like the idea that when a vehicle is shown not to be insured, the vehicle is either impounded or the license plates are removed, until the fines and the tag is purchased. There are no free rides or lunches.

So what's the big deal with the use of this technology for detecting vehicles on our roads without insurance, or for that matter, any other lawful purpose? . For those claiming this somehow is a violation of their personal privacy apparently have not a clue as to what even constitutes "their privacy." . Anytime one leaves the confines or actual privacy of their homes, whether to just check the mail or a trip to the mall, any expectation of privacy ends at the door. Once outside and in view of the public, whether being observed through the eyes of the neighbors, security cameras at the mall, or traffic cameras at intersections, you've given-up your privacy expectations by placing yourself in public. It's as simple as that. . As someone else mentioned, unless you have intent to do wrong, why be concerned. I suppose for those suffering some form of paranoia, they feel the whole world is watching them and them alone, which is simplistic in its self, but the remedy is simple too, just stay home!

Tulsa Police have been using a new black Dodge Magnum with cameras mounted on the back to drive around and collect tag data for months. "Uninsured drivers" is just a smokescreen for indiscriminate intelligence gathering.

First : Uninsured drivers should be penalized by revoking their priviledge to drive until such time they can prove in court that they are covered-a law already on the books though not always inforced to the fullest extent. The new camera scan plan will force law abiding citizens (including those who have already paid their debt to society for previous infractions) to bear repeated burden of proof costing time and money . Example: the camera will not take into account autos that are tagged properly though not insured because of mechanical or electrical issues that renders it unsafe to drive. Second, we as a state are already in repair mode for road and bridge repairs so badly needed. Governor Henry should allocate those same dollars he can so quickly say "yes" to for the camera's and fund the road and bridge repairs that are litterally making it critically risky for anyone, including Governor Henry, to travel on. to drive on Third, the police officers that are being forced out of work due to budget cuts can and should be offered the option to be retrained for road and bridge construction until such time the city our economy returns to health. W. Russell Scott Tulsa, Oklahoma

Let's see, you catch a driver, making minimum-wage 800$ a month and you make him buy 800$ of auto insurance. Where is he going to get the money for his food or rent? OH, that is right, he can go on food stamps for his food. When is your station going to do a story on the indigents in Oklahoma on food stamps due to mandatory auto insurance? A food stamp survey, done in Billings, MT in October of 2004, by the Montana DPHHS, showed 12 of 96 food stamp applicants said auto insurance was a reason for needing food stamps. That equals 30,000 over the last 20 years in Montana. Why not put some cameras in front of the welfare office and watch these same convictions collect food stamps? Let's just ignore this problem and maybe it will go away. Mandatory auto insurance hurts poor people and doesn't sound like "Blessed are the poor" to me, sounds like "Blessed are the rich" They buy 20,000$ vehicles (which they do not need), and then tell the poor people to buy liability insurance to protect them, or they will have their 1,000$ clunkers seized, the owners fined and their driver's licenses suspended. Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.

Also, did you know that the City of Tulsa in all it's budget crisis spent $5000 to $10,000 per police car to install simple card readers that read drivers licenses and automatic issuing more abusive tickets by the TPD. Someone in the Tulsa police dept. or city gov't made a ton of money under the table on this deal. Those simple card readers tied to a computer system should not have cost more than $300 each.

Come on Fox23, are you really dumb enough to belive this is for catching people without insurance? This is a carefully orchestrated BIG BROTHER plan by the State of Oklahoma entirely to tax the living daylights out of Oklahomans. 1st was the new tags with the automatic character recognition numbering. 2nd is the cameras which are really being put in to issue SPEEDING TICKETS BY COMPUTER. These are speed cameras. Think about it people. The state of Oklahoma sending out thousands and thousands of speeding tickets, all automated by this new computer system. Welcome to Big Brother State of Oklahoma. Come on Fox23 news, can't you see where this is going? How about some responsible reporting ! This is is pure European Socialism. Our freedoms are being erroded every day. I can only hope that the "good ol' boys" of Oklahoma don't take this and put their constituionally guaranteed right to bear arms to good use on these speed cameras.

Tulsa has the system.