EHRLICH OPPOSES IMPORTANT TOOL IN FIGHT AGAINST CRIME AND TERRORISM

License Plate Reader Technology Is Catching Criminals, Protecting Homeland Security

Baltimore, MD (August 9, 2010) - In a Washington Times Editorial, Bob Ehrlich's campaign put partisan politics ahead of public safety once again, opposing Maryland law enforcement's use of License Plate Reader (LPR) technology that has helped decrease vehicle thefts by 35.8% while serving as a key Homeland Security tool as well.

Governor O'Malley, who co-chairs the National Governor's Association Homeland Security Committee, was joined last week by Maryland law enforcement officials and community leaders to announce an additional $2 Million in grants to help law enforcement deploy 100 new LPR units across the state. This technology allows police to identify stolen vehicles or tags from those vehicles being sought by police instantly, and is a critical tool in the modern fight against crime.

But through spokesperson Andy Barth, the Ehrlich campaign told the Washington Times that "Ehrlich would need to see compelling arguments that these 'readers' have real benefit to remove concerns about government surveillance."

According to O'Malley deputy campaign manager Rick Abbruzzese:

"Bob Ehrlich is opposed to this critical crime fighting and homeland security tool either because he doesn't get it, or because he can't support anything proposed by Governor O'Malley because he thinks it would hurt him in this campaign. Either way, his position on this issue is out of touch, and would quite simply make Maryland less safe."

In the wake of the Faisal Shahzad car bomb attempt in New York City, license plate reader technology was employed to help track Shahzad's movements from the days leading up to the attempted attack. And officials in Long Beach, California say the technology has allowed them to catch murderers and even alert the FBI to a suspect on their terrorism watch list.

Abbruzzese concluded:

"Bob Ehrlich left the state of Maryland a shameful backlog of 24,000 unprocessed DNA samples when he left office, meaning hundreds of criminals were walking around Maryland free. Now, he wants to withhold vital tools that law enforcement professionals say are proven to reduce vehicle theft and serve as a key component in our Homeland Security efforts. He should be embarrassed that trying to win an election so clearly comes before the safety of Maryland families."