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Resident raises privacy concerns about license-plate reader cameras
Summary
At the July 21 City of Worthington Hills meeting, a resident questioned the use and oversight of recently installed automatic license-plate reader cameras and asked the commission to ensure the devices are limited to license-plate capture, not facial recognition; the commission said LMPD holds investigative access and the city will spot-check camera health.
A city resident raised privacy concerns on July 21 about newly installed automatic license-plate reader cameras the commission says were approved in March and assigned to Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) for investigative use.
“I'm not gonna I'm not gonna surrender my freedom for security,” the resident said, urging the commission to confirm the cameras only read license plates and do not perform facial-recognition functions. Mayor Stone responded that the devices are “automatic license plate readers that take a picture. They do not do movies,” and said the cameras record rear license plates and are stationary, with inbound and outbound coverage at some entrances.
Commissioners and the mayor described the system as integrated with neighboring Coldstream cameras to allow investigators to trace vehicle movements across multiple entry points. The mayor said images are held on the city’s system for 30 days and that LMPD must request downloads for active investigations; he added the city logged 24 “hot list” hits in the past 30 days.
In response to the resident’s concern about who can view images, members agreed city staff could “spot check” camera health and angles; the mayor and a commissioner said Dennis (staff) and the mayor would be able to review images to confirm the system is used as described. The resident asked the commission to ensure the city contract forbids facial-recognition use; commissioners said they would verify contract terms and allow the spot checks.
The commission did not take a formal vote on camera policy at the meeting but acknowledged the public concern and agreed to periodic spot checks and follow-up on contract limits and access.
