Sam the Tram will be called Big Brother. He loves and cares for us.

Meanwhile I'll make a fresh contribution to the ACLU.

I don't think CoP will get these until after the unions have negotiated that city vehicles cannot be tracked.

I like the overall idea: have a camera "read" all the license plates and compare them to the (existing) list of suspect plates (stolen, involved in hit & run, licensed to people with warrants, et al.). I'm troubled by the retention/tracking aspect; especially since it appears that Police will be able to "go back in time" regarding new suspect plates.

When I was a hit-and-run victim last year, I got a plate number, but the police weren't able to do anything about it. It would have been nice if the police could have entered that plate and found that "hey, that truck was seen around a certain area" and then be able to investigate.

On the other hand, the potential for abuse is very high. Internal abuse is probably most likely (i.e. cop tracks spouse, children, ex-spouse); certainly there will be an instance of a cop involved in a domestic incident because of the system (tracked the cheating spouse down would be my guess).

I'm also nervous regarding the data mining potentials. Certain vehicles turning up in certain "suspect" areas at certain times could be justified as probable cause. Cops: Your honor, this expensive car shows up in this area with drug activity every friday after work. It's a pattern indicative of drug involvement. Judge: Warrant!

Finally, would these records be availible to the public? This will be a big development in alibi development (and destruction). Probably also have a role in domestic relations cases.

I don't think these are unreasonable concerns, but it seems that the City (and the police) are narrowly focused on only the "positive" crime control aspects without dealing with the attendant issues raised by the system. I think that the biggest failure here is the failure to plan for te consequences of the system.

You have to wonder how a place like Portland, with its "progressive" City Council, can let its police run out and buy one of these.

Come on, Jack! The article specifically says that "the police promise they will only use it to solve crimes, like finding stolen cars or locating wanted criminals."

Why would any rational observer have any reason to distrust the Portland Police Bureau or any of its spokesmodels or union chiefs?

How can we deploy this kind of technology against our own people yet not have the capability to figure out where Osama bin laden is hiding?

Our priorities are screwed up.

Yet another step toward congestion pricing, just like our friends in the UK.

It's not what the police do to track me out in public that scares me, it's the monitoring of internet, phone, etc in the home that bothers me.

Johnny Cop, are you seeing through everyone's clothes with those X-ray glasses while you chew gum in class? Did you bring enough for everyone? 'No,' you say? Then discard what you have.

STOP the gddm privileged elitism of some people, by virtue or vice of some so-called 'job' titles; STOP the model showing our children the idea of some people being better, superior to other people who are inferior persons for being (your choice): []born outside Oregon []non-Eskimo speaking []female []non-buddhist []under 5' 8" tall []over 25 yrs old []musically artistic []ugly []pretty []a doctor []a lawyer []a merchant []a thief []a cop.

If cop cars get spot-scan cams, we ALL the PUBLIC get spot-scan cams.

If sociopathic powerdrunks in WashDC get spy-in-the-sky cams, we ALL the PUBLIC get spy-in-the-sky cams.

Everyone is equal. Mainly, our taxes PAID FOR those perversions ... uh, I mean, technical developments of 'privilege.'

So, like the rightwing wackos say, shrink that gov't. Don't pay those taxes. No cams, no cops, no rockets, no bombs for anyone if there is not enough to share with everyone.

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P.S. LIARS (hearts) see-thru-your-clothes pervert peeking, LIARS is ALL OVER this cop expenditure today, panting microphone like a foam-lipped swooning loon. Since, y'know, there isn't any important news for callers to discuss that matters to Oregonians. Meanwhile, Palin is a LIAR and LIARS love her. Scan your cams on that hot fashion plate, get 'er number, we can cruise by 'er house later and ring the bell for a donation to the Cruiser Cop Benevolent Association.

Heaven forbid police are able to track or watch what you announce to the public every time you drive: your license plate number and where you go.

Greg,

But if you or I keep track of this information and act on it, it's called stalking and we go to jail. If the cops do it, even without any probable cause, they're just doing their job.

Soon, the tearists will ride bicycles.

It's not what the police do to track me out in public that scares me, it's the monitoring of internet, phone, etc in the home that bothers me.

I would take that up with the private companies that you buy your services from. They are the ones allowing the government access.

I once lived in a New York City suburb so small it had a cop on night foot patrol who was required to write down the license of all cars parked late at night. The idea was to catch burglars. Never did.
What I like is the cost savings that come with automation. City could hire civilians at half the cost of a sworn officer to run around with the cameras and radio in the location of any stolens or wanteds they find. In fact, the thing is so automatic judges could sentence petty criminals to do the driving as a community service. The camera would report the crooks AND monitor the community service time AND record where the petty thief was at the time something was stolen. Oh the union is gonna love it, I'm sure.