Will law enforcement put license plate readers in car washes?
image credit: ELSAG
Why is the Department of Justice and Homeland Security allowing a foreign company to use covert license plate readers (ALPR) to spy on American motorists?
Selex ES and their sister company ELSAG a Leonardo company are using ALPR's to spy on Americans in real-time. Fyi, Selex ES and Leonardo are an Italian owned corporation.
"Our ALPR systems scan license plates in real time, so your operators receive immediate alerts of any hot or white list matches. Instant data lends your law enforcement the edge on offenders, aiding in your duty to stop crime and promote community safety".
Did you catch that?
A foreign company is creating hot lists and white lists of American motorists. (Click here to see how the NHL secretly uses watch lists to spy on fans.)
ELSAG offers law enforcement six different ways to spy on motorists.
Police use covert ALPR's to spy on everyone
One of the more disturbing things ELSAG offers, are covert ALPR's hidden inside highway construction barrels.
image credit: Ars Technica
ELSAG boasts about collaborating with partner agencies (police) to design creative ALPR's to spy on everyone.
"These clever systems read license plates without drawing attention to overt hardware and help identify vehicles connected to auto theft, parking violations, toll evasion, insurance lapses and more".
ELSAG also claims that law enforcement's imagination is their limitation.
"If you have a vision for how you'd like to conceal your fixed, mobile or portable ALPR system, we can collaborate with you to build a prototype".
A U.S. DOT publication titled 'Mitigating Work Zone Safety and Mobility Challenges through Intelligent Transportation Systems' reveals how they secretly hide a "smart traffic monitoring system" inside highway construction barrels.
image credit: UDSOT
An iCone is a device that beams real-time traffic information over the internet to a central web site for use by government officials, law enforcement and first responders.
ELSAG admits that they have a close working relationship with DHS and law enforcement.They have also created a grant list for law enforcement to use to purchase ALPR's.
Five grants law enforcement uses to acquire ALPR's:
Block or Formula Grants
Discretionary Grants
Federal Grants
Department of Homeland Security Grants
Corporate of Foundation Grants
Eventually law enforcement will run out of places to spy on motorists and ELSAG will stop profiting from spying on everyone right?
Wrong, DHS or ELSAG has come up with a disturbing new proposal.
ALPR's in car washes
Big brother's appetite for spying on Americans could soon extend to car washes.
ELSAG wants to put ALPR's in car washes...
"For example, an owner of a car wash could put up an ALPR camera at an automatic washing bay".
"Every time a car pulls up, the camera reads the license plate and validates a subscription against a white list of subscribers, so the driver can go ahead and use the car wash. Imagine how much more convenient ALPR cameras could make your retail business".
How long will it take for DHS to offer car washes, gas stations and convenient stores, grants to purchase ALPR's?
Make no mistake, DHS and law enforcement do not care about our privacy and have no qualms about using private corporations to achieve their goal of total surveillance.