Some Connecticut police departments are testing license plate scanning technology to identify unregistered and stolen cars, and 10 towns have pooled their data into a database with more than 3.1 million records, reports The Hartford Courant. A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union acknowledges the value of the scanners but says the group wants regulation and oversight, calling use of the database "retroactive surveillance without probable cause."  The president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association says, "If you have never stolen a car, if your registration is up to date, the license plate reader will never know you exist," and one state representative notes, "technology is outpacing us....But if we focus on balancing the rights of privacy and security, I think at least we'll be focused on the right things."
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