Black Roadside Cameras

[NorthCyd]

So I've noticed these small black cameras with solar panels on the side of the road recently in north Polk County. There is one on NW 66th just west of the Des Moines river on the north side of the road, and then I saw one in Ankeny on NW State St by the sports complex and Goldfinch Sports. Anyone know what they are? I figure they can't be speed cameras because I think those require signs now. I was thinking either traffic monitoring of some sort or license plate trackers.

 

[StormnClone58]

So I've noticed these small black cameras with solar panels on the side of the road recently in north Polk County. There is one on NW 66th just west of the Des Moines river on the north side of the road, and then I saw one in Ankeny on NW State St by the sports complex and Goldfinch Sports. Anyone know what they are? I figure they can't be speed cameras because I think those require signs now. I was thinking either traffic monitoring of some sort or license plate trackers.

They are license plate ‘readers’

 

[DSMCy]

They are license plate ‘readers’

Yep this is right

License plate reading cameras becoming more common in Iowa

Cameras that can read license plates and automatically run them through police databases are becoming more common across the U.S., and raising concerns about privacy. They’ve started to pop up in Iowa in the recent years. The University of Iowa installed 28 cameras this year, and Marshalltown...

www.thegazette.com

 

[CascadeClone]

Great for catching and convicting criminals.

Also great for tracking your political enemies so you can round them up and disappear them.

Technology isn't good or bad, its all about HOW it's used by those in power.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Great for catching and convicting criminals.

Also great for tracking your political enemies so you can round them up and disappear them.

Technology isn't good or bad, its all about HOW it's used by those in power.

Yep, great for tracking everyone, innocent or not, and you can paint a stunningly accurate picture of someone by tracking their movements. No idea how they get away with that.

 

[Al_4_State]

Yep, great for tracking everyone, innocent or not, and you can paint a stunningly accurate picture of someone by tracking their movements. No idea how they get away with that.

Who's going to stop them?

 

[somecyguy]

I'm conflicted about them. On the surface, I see where it can help law enforcement track down someone, but I also question how easy the potential for abuse. Of course, it doesn't help the increasing number of people driving around WITHOUT plates and not getting pulled over.

 

[NorthCyd]

Great for catching and convicting criminals.

Also great for tracking your political enemies so you can round them up and disappear them.

Technology isn't good or bad, its all about HOW it's used by those in power.

I don't love license plate trackers, but I'm also carrying around a personal tracking device. An official with a warrant can get access to that info, and in the not too distant future they may just do away with the warrant part if it, so I'm pretty thoroughly surveilled either way.

 

[3TrueFans]

Yep, great for tracking everyone, innocent or not, and you can paint a stunningly accurate picture of someone by tracking their movements. No idea how they get away with that.

*Posted from my iPhone 15*

 

[Bader]

They already make registration stickers color coded, I'd bet you catch the vast majority of these cases if cops actually went back to pulling people over when they see last year's sticker. I'm shocked the number of times I see plates with the sticker from 2 years ago around town

 

[ackatch]

They already make registration stickers color coded, I'd bet you catch the vast majority of these cases if cops actually went back to pulling people over when they see last year's sticker. I'm shocked the number of times I see plates with the sticker from 2 years ago around town

and pull over the GD people who put their stickers all around their plates like it's a ******* decorating contest.

I have no idea why - but holy **** does that bother me.

 

[KnappShack]

*Posted from my iPhone 15*

Lady at work is on a 6 month grand jury.

Her main takeaway

Leave the phone at home if you go out criming. It puts a person directly at the scene of the event.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

I got picked up speeding on I-35 a couple of years ago, and the guy gave me a warning ticket saying my ISU license plate holder was obscuring, the county name on my plate and to take it off. I thought about it as I drove away, we have ISU personalized plates and they do not list the county, only say Iowa State. Guy was a complete prick.

 

[Cyclonepride]

*Posted from my iPhone 15*

They have no right to track that without probable cause either.

 

[simply1]

Lady at work is on a 6 month grand jury.

Her main takeaway

Leave the phone at home if you go out criming. It puts a person directly at the scene of the event.

There’s a regional fly fishing personality here who got seemingly shot at while fishing a river in Idaho, and the number of people who knew about the geofencing and such was pretty wild to me. Also odds are local Leo know some likely suspects and can check their cell locations.

 

[KnappShack]

There’s a regional fly fishing personality here who got seemingly shot at while fishing a river in Idaho, and the number of people who knew about the geofencing and such was pretty wild to me. Also odds are local Leo know some likely suspects and can check their cell locations.

I seem to remember something about that. It wasn't 100% sure that he was actually shot at?

 

[Clonehomer]

They have no right to track that without probable cause either.

Your phone yes. But these are cameras on public roads. You have no expectation of privacy on a public road. So I don’t think there would need to be probable cause or any sort of warrant needed to get that data. But all they will be able to gather from it is that your car (not you) passed a certain spot at a certain time.

 

[3TrueFans]

They have no right to track that without probable cause either.

So you're worried about misuse of these cameras but not the phone in your pocket?

 

[isucy86]

If your going to do the crime, don't come to Dubuque,... or at least, stay off the streets.

From KCRG Article
The Dubuque Police Department will use a new Precision Policing Center (PPC) to analyze real-time data from the city’s approximately 1,300 surveillance cameras. “It gives us a quicker, eminent response, using a resource that’s very specific and will support everybody,” said Dubuque Police Chief Jeremy Jensen.

 

[simply1]

I seem to remember something about that. It wasn't 100% sure that he was actually shot at?

I haven’t seen anything other than people telling their stories about similar things happening. The video sure sounds like it!