Nashville Leadership Divided On Issue Of License Plate Readers

Image Credit: Tony Webster / CC

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Nashville city leaders and law enforcement officials are still torn over the future of License Plate Readers (LPRs) in the city.

In a joint Metro Council Public Health and Safety and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday, individuals from the District Attorney’s office, Nashville Community Oversight Board, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and a public defender all presented information on LPRs to Council members.

Metro Police vouch for the efficiency of the program, saying the six-month pilot that ended in July was successful. They noted that they made 112 arrests from the 71 million license plates that were read by the machines.

“We can work smarter,” said MNPD Deputy Chief Greg Blair. “We put an LPR there. It is cheaper, and it doesn’t take a vacation, and it does it more accurately than we do.”

The District Attorney’s office was in agreement that the cameras are a beneficial tool in helping bring people to justice.

“We need every tool in our toolbox to solve these crimes,” said Assistant DA Jenny Charles. “License plate readers are an important part of that.”

Not everyone is on board with the use of the cameras. Those on the Nashville Community Oversight Board say they don’t want the city to become “Surveillance City.” They argue that the cameras were not placed equally around the city, causing some communities to be heavier targets.

“People are concerned about the use of LPRs and their placement in low-income, non-white areas of the city,” said executive director Jill Fitcheard.

Following the presentations, Metro Council members opted to postpone voting until they could spend more time looking at the data that had been collected. They will consider the issue again during their August council meeting.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com