The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced earlier this month that it plans to expand its use of automated license plate readers. The department currently operates three of the devices — one in the greater Eureka area and two in McKinleyville — which are affixed to stationary structures. According to HCSO, the readers are used mainly to find stolen vehicles or vehicles connected to missing persons cases. They do not collect facial data and the plate information they collect is deleted after 30 days.

Maybe this is the first you’re hearing about such a program, but the HCSO says four more devices will be installed in the near future. What do you think of this law enforcement trend?