The Kentucky General Assembly is moving forward with the regulation of automated license reading cameras. The State Senate voted 27 to six Friday in favor of regs for Flock cameras. It sets out a 90-day limit on storing data unless it is part of a criminal investigation and stipulates that the information can’t be sold. Bill Sponsor Jimmy Higdon said some guardrails are needed.
“But, it is the wild west. There’s no requirement for any type of regulations at the local level, so this will regulate these cameras,” said Higdon.
Higdon said the bill pertains to automated license reading cameras used by both public and private entities including local governments, schools, businesses, and homeowner associations. While voting yes, Grayson Senator Robin Webb said some refinement might be needed to deal with civil suits, particularly as it relates to automobile crash cases.
Lawrenceburg Senator Adrienne Southworth said, quote, “we need to get our hands around this thing and start wrangling down this extreme privacy invasion.”
“So, I’m hoping that we will make more progress as we continue on. But, we have to have a first step of saying…wait a second… these cameras exist, they need to get regulated and we need to stop all of the massive sharing,” said Southworth.
Lexington has implemented the use of Flock cameras along a number of roadways. Lexington Senator Reggie Thomas voted aye, saying it is a valuable law enforcement tool. Thomas would like to see such use expanded and include traffic control monitoring to address speeding issues.
**In a sea of partisan news, WEKU is your source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
