LANSING — As license plate reading cameras to fight crime become more common on Michigan roads, their use is raising concerns about personal privacy.

These devices record plate numbers of passing vehicles and are different from cameras used to track traffic conditions.

Typically positioned on a pole or police cruiser, plate readers are more complex and gather more data than traffic cameras, experts say.

In a 2021 incident, in River Rouge, five people from a neighboring city stole a car. Officers with the River Rouge Police Department received a Flock alert, located the vehicle and recovered two AR-15 assault rifles, according to the department.

The department said it believes its officers interrupted a driveby shooting planned by gang members.

A recent study by Lauren Fash at the University of Maryland Law School found that automated license plate readers are useful tools because they automate scanning plates and comparing them to law enforcement databases.

But they also have the potential for abuse, the study said.

The primary manufacturer of plate readers used in Michigan is Flock Safety of Atlanta, Georgia.

According to a WXYZ-TV report, a State Police official said last year that his department had used plate readers in investigating 90% of freeway shootings and making arrests in all of them.

Flock Safety also offers law enforcement agencies and private organizations cloud services, including data storage.

Daniel Pfannes, the deputy director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, said “Plate readers assist law enforcement as an investigative tool that could uncover information that it would otherwise not have access to, and they are becoming more common.”

According to Pfannes, the devices capture the alphanumeric data from the license plate.

“The camera doesn’t know anything more than that,” he said. “It will query that plate number against the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network to see if that is a wanted vehicle.”

“If it is a wanted vehicle, then word will be sent to law enforcement that there has been a hit off of that plate, and it will capture the time and location of that car,” he said.