The City of Commerce has installed 15 license plate reader cameras across the community, part of a grant-funded effort aimed at preventing vehicle theft and assisting criminal investigations.
Police Chief Corley Weatherford says the system captures only still images of vehicles and their license plates as they pass fixed locations—not live video and not images of drivers or passengers. “It’s a photo of any vehicle that passes that particular location,” Weatherford said. “A picture of the drivers or occupants, absolutely not.”
Officials say the cameras are used strictly for law enforcement purposes. Officers must enter a case number or call-for-service record before searching the system, and all searches are logged and subject to audit. Weatherford says the technology is not used for traffic enforcement, such as speeding or red-light violations, but instead for investigations ranging from theft to violent crime.
The system stores data for up to 30 days, after which it is automatically deleted. Weatherford says that limit is intended to prevent long-term tracking or pattern analysis of vehicle movements. Alerts can be generated if a license plate matches an active law enforcement database, such as a stolen vehicle report or Amber Alert.
City Manager Howdy Lisenbee says oversight ultimately rests with elected officials and the public. “The elected officials determine what the boat does. All we do is drive,” Lisenbee said, adding that the city plans to provide regular reports to council on how the system is used.
Lisenbee and Weatherford visited KETR's temporary studio complex on Friday, April 10. The full recorded interview is available here.
