


So it’s particularly disturbing that automatic license plate readers are used to track and record the movements of millions of ordinary people, even though the overwhelming majority are not connected to a crime.Īutomated license plate readers can be broadly divided into two categories. ALPR technology can be used to target drivers who visit sensitive places such as health centers, immigration clinics, gun shops, union halls, protests, or centers of religious worship.ĭrivers have no control over whether their vehicle displays a license plate because the government requires all car, truck, and motorcycle drivers to display license plates in public view. Taken in the aggregate, ALPR data can paint an intimate portrait of a driver’s life and even chill First Amendment protected activity. Law enforcement agencies can choose to share their information with thousands of other agencies. Vendors say that the information collected can be used by police to find out where a plate has been in the past, to determine whether a vehicle was at the scene of a crime, to identify travel patterns, and even to discover vehicles that may be associated with each other. The data, which includes photographs of the vehicle and sometimes its driver and passengers, is then uploaded to a central server. ALPRs automatically capture all license plate numbers that come into view, along with the location, date, and time. To learn more about the new cards, click here.Ĭopyright 2020 by KSAT - All rights reserved.Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are high-speed, computer-controlled camera systems that are typically mounted on street poles, streetlights, highway overpasses, mobile trailers, or attached to police squad cars. The cards also have laser-engraving for an extra layer of protection against alterations or forgeries, per DPS. The new cards are made out of polycarbonate material, which officials say is more tamper-resistant and harder to reproduce. Understand: Real ID Act and what it means for you

Officials say the cards are Real ID compliant and have a gold star in the upper right corner. The new cards also identify veterans and disabled veterans as well as their branch of service, on the front of the cards. The new driver’s licenses and identification cards have visible identifiers on the front, which include identifying those who have a health condition that could hamper their ability to communicate with others, per DPS. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the new cards have added security features and better protects against forgeries. TEXAS – If you get a new driver’s license, identification card or license to carry card this week in the state of Texas, you may notice a new design.
