Debate over license plate readers continues in Northern Virginia

Ongoing debate over license plate readers tonight. A burglary arrest. Fairfax County Police want you to know about. Fox 5's Josh Rosenthal is in McLean tonight. Let's start here in Fairfax County where police say that automated license plate readers including flock cameras are helping them keep people safe. Our officers and our detectives rely on this technology every day to solve and prevent crime. It has become an essential law enforcement tool that has a direct impact on the public safety of Fairfax County. And that includes in this most recent case. Police say they've arrested 73-year-old Michael Spolino of Alexandria. He's accused of breaking into a home Tuesday morning. We're told the homeowner saw it happen through a home security camera and gave police a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Then police say they used automated license plate reader technology to locate Spolino's car, make the arrest. And they add that they later recovered evidence linking Spolino to other burglaries outside of Fairfax County. But the tech itself, which captures license plate numbers, also the time, date, and location that you drive by, is controversial. For instance, the city of Alexandria is choosing to shut down its 61 flock cameras by tomorrow night, in part due to privacy concerns. Also, last month, the Arlington County Board voted to remove dozens of the cameras there. Meanwhile, you've got stories like this one from the Washington Post, which details allegations of police keeping access to Flock's surveillance system long after they left the force. Back in Fairfax County Thursday, residents we talked to gave the tech mixed reviews. I don't like them. You can't drive anywhere. They see where you're going. To me, it's an invasion of privacy. I think it's a good idea. I think it's helpful to law enforcement. So I'm in favor of it. In the Fairfax burglary case, we made attempts to reach the suspect, Spolino, but we weren't immediately successful. That's what it's for. Guys.