Lawmakers in the Rhode Island House are considering a bill to regulate automated cameras that read motorist's license plates.
Representative Joseph Solomon's bill would enact guidelines for what data the readers may collect, and how law enforcement may use it.
The measure would also limit how long images could be stored. Solomon expressed concern that the data could be sold to a third party.
The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Office of the Public Defender support the bill.
Police chiefs of several communities, however, say it would hinder efforts to solve crimes.
The Judiciary Committee is holding the bill for further study.
(Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / AFP / Getty Images