8,000 tickets issued after Louisiana parish installs cameras

Published 1:41 pm Tuesday, June 5, 2018

BENTON, La. (AP) — A Louisiana parish has issued 8,000 tickets after installing license plate readers last year.

Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington says the $200 citations were mailed to vehicle owners who drove by the cameras and were found to be uninsured.

The Shreveport Times reports 12 license plate readers have been installed at intersections throughout the parish. The sheriff office’s original plans announced in 2017 said up to 44 cameras would be installed. Whittington says installation has been slower than expected.

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The cameras also help law enforcement with handling crimes such as Amber Alerts. The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the technology in a 2013 report titled “You are being tracked” and said the cameras increased opportunity for abuse. The sheriff says the agency stores camera data for 90 days.