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Sheriff's office seeks Byrne JAG money to install fixed license‑plate reader at Route 5; board approves application
Summary
The sheriff's office received authorization to apply for a $100,000 Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for a fixed automated license‑plate reader at the Route 5/Mohawk corridor and permission to use up to $110,000 in local asset‑forfeiture funds if needed; the sheriff's captain stressed Maryland statute limits data sharing and that the system does not perform facial recognition.
The Board authorized the sheriff's office to submit a fiscal‑year 2027 Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application for $100,000 to fund a fixed automated license‑plate reader gateway at the Route 5/Mohawk Drive corridor and approved authorization to use up to $110,000 in local asset‑forfeiture funds to cover any project shortfall.
Captain Simons explained the project and addressed privacy concerns, distinguishing the county's planned fixed LPRs from controversial commercial models that share broad data pools. "This technology does not do facial recognition. It does not identify people in the vehicle. This is exclusive to the vehicle itself," Captain Simons said. He described Maryland's statutory safeguards, data ownership by the agency, audit trails and required annual reporting to the General Assembly. The board voted to approve the grant application and authorized the commissioner president and sheriff to execute related documents.
