DEA installs license-plate recognition devices near Southwest border
In their unending battle to deter illegal immigration, drug trafficking and terrorism, U.S. authorities already have beefed up border security with drug-sniffing dogs, aircraft, and thousands more agents manning interior checkpoints.
Now, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has decided it wants more, and the Justice Department agency doesnt care whether someone has even set foot in Mexico.
Clusters of what at first appear to be surveillance cameras have begun turning up in recent months on the Southwest border, and while some of the machines are merely surveillance cameras, others are specialized recognition devices that automatically capture license-plate numbers and the geographic location of everyone who passes by, plus the date and time.
The DEA confirms that the devices have been deployed in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico. It has plans to introduce them farther inside the United States.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/dea-installs-license-plate-recognition-devices-near-southwest-border/