LETTER: LPR technology

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 7, 2026

I can’t believe the paranoia and panic surrounding these things.

Before I retired from law enforcement, in a major crime task force for California Department of Justice, we started using license plate reader (LPR) technology. We tracked cartel couriers transiting California.

Lest the reader forget, cartels have been responsible for the death of about half a million people, so I’d say they were important targets.

Meanwhile, LPR technology was catching numerous stolen cars and violent crime suspects.

Now we have people believing the system is there to monitor and compile information on people who might disagree with the government’s political agenda.

What manure.

By the way, the Obama and Clinton administrations were the ones who mainly did that sort of thing. So everybody who feels violated by something they really don’t understand has sent the system back to the supplier.

Wait until your car is stolen. Wait until someone you care about is abducted and driven away. You’ll be begging for LPRs.

You may say it’s a risk you’re prepared to take. But you’re taking it for me, and you don’t have that right.

You may point to the Amber alert system and say that’s all we need. But when you’re terrified over someone you care about, you’ll want that extra edge.

Scot Barr

Port Townsend