re: License Plate scanners on police cars

Scanners or not, if you keep your car current you have no worries.

They just drive by and scan. That is what they do at the Asian massage parlors

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They must not make license plate scanners for temp tags.

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Those people have no money

Not worth going after

We need civil asset forfeiture of vehicles to deal with those folks

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How is my desire to document the whereabouts of everyone around me using one and paper different than cops using computers?

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After having seen a post or two that I missed the first time I think the argument they are making is that because the cops save the data it could be argued that they are observing and collecting data on patterns of behavior and therefore "investigating" or "surveilling" citizens without probable cause.

That argument does make more sense to me.

I'm not sure how that would be different than a DUI checkpoint, though. They run everyone's license plate that they stop for those and I'll bet they keep the data.

Expired tags classify a vehicle as “inoperable” making it a probable cause situation

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I just looked through LA R.S. 32 and R.S 44 and can’t find any specific laws or authorizations on using them.

I can just find a few references to Jindal vetoing their use in ‘16.

So where does law enforcement get the authority to use them?

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They don’t need authorization. It’s a free country and they can do what they want until case law says they can’t. Your license plate is out for all to see. I can ride around with a Nikon, a map, and a notebook. How is my desire to document the whereabouts of everyone around me using one and paper different than cops using computers?

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Let me start out with the statement that I could be completely wrong but here it goes...

I both agree and disagree with you. You and I as citizens are free to ride around with a Nikon a map and a notebook and record anything in public that we want. We can even store that information if we so desire. We have the RIGHT to do that under the constitution and so on.

Police, law enforcement and so on, once they put on their uniform and are operating in their official capacity, are no longer citizens. They are agents of the government. While they are acting as agents of the government on behalf of the government they no longer have the rights they enjoyed as a citizen to do whatever. Those rights are replaced with "Authorities" that the government gives them. You and I as citizens can't just go out and arrest people. We aren't commissioned by the government with the powers and authorities that allow us to do that. Law enforcement members are granted these authorities AND since these authorities aren't omnipotent, they must be clearly defined. If they are not defined, I'm not sure they they are allowed to do those things legally. It's possible that no one has challenged this yet. If there is no requirement to authorize the various tools, tactics, etc., then why do they bother to authorize anything? It would just fall under the "we can do what we want" standard.

For instance, here is the Revised Statutue referencing the use of dash cameras in police cars.

Also, police have the explicitly spelled out authority to carry a fire arm in places that you or I can't. It's not their right as a citizen to do so, it's a specific authority conferred as an agent of the government.

There was a BILL put forth in 2016 that would have provided authorization for the sheriff's office in each parish to use these but it was veto'd by Bobby Jindal. I looked last night and can't find anything on the state level that appears to authorize their use. Maybe it exists but I don't see it.

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but to conduct a stop of someone, you need probable cause

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No, only reasonable suspicion is required to make an investigative stop.

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What “rights” are they violating?

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None, but it gives people another reason to complain so that’s good

Yeah, they are looking for stolen vehicles, too. But they are really for potential municipal revenue enhancement.

Look, the cop that stopped her was not stopping her because he was concerned for her safety.....or the safety of others on the road .

He was a Mandeville cop who had the night shift and was bored. Public safety by stopping a 52 yr old woman because her plates were 2 months expired ? It was pretext for hoping he could get her for expired license or driving on a suspended license or an insurance violation ......if he found drugs on her, then Mandeville hits the jackpot.