Leelanau has long been a place of refuge. Somewhere to go where your troubles melt away … an emotional bubble.
However, there’s a new plan afoot to monitor when and where you are in the Land of Delight.
Sheriff Mike Borkovich and Undersheriff Jim Kiessel propose for a 60-day traffic study which would include installation of 12 traffic-related cameras at locations throughout the county.
FLOCK Safety would provide the cameras at no charge during a 60-day period beginning next spring. Cost of the camera and maintenance — a total of $36,000 — would be covered by participating townships.
Borkovich explained that the monitors would scan license plates and alert law enforcement in those communities looking for suspects. Law enforcement already has at its disposal the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) and NCIC (National Crime Information Center), a computerized database maintained by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division. The Sheriff described the system as another tool to help keep the community safe.
However, commissioners and at least one member of the public attending the meeting Tuesday, were reluctant to get behind the proposed program. They had a lot of questions:
• What safeguards are in place to ensure information gathered will stay with the policing agencies?
• Will the data collected by the private business be sold to other private businesses?
• Would the practice violate a subject’s 4th Amendment rights?
• Does the system duplicate the services already available to law enforcement?
Some also questioned whether the system constitutes an invasion of privacy, “Big Brother,” a character and symbol in George Orwell’s dystopian 1949 novel 1984.
Borkovich said he didn’t want the monitoring to be used for this purpose adding it would be used to help catch “hardcore” criminals.
Thankfully, commissioners didn’t jump on the bandwagon that already includes Antrim and Grand Traverse counties.
We support the board which has asked for more information before opening the community to what some consider an invasion of privacy.
