Opinion: South Carolina's sheriffs believe public safety requires public trust

Every South Carolinian deserves two things: to be safe in their community and to know that law enforcement exercises its authority responsibly. Those are not competing values. They are complementary ones. South Carolina's 46 sheriffs believe effective policing and meaningful accountability go hand in hand.

South Carolina's sheriffs have seen firsthand how timely information from a license plate reader (LPR) can prevent additional crimes, recover victims and bring offenders to justice. Recently, LPR technology has become the subject of increased public debate. Some have questioned whether the technology threatens individual privacy or opens the door to misuse. Those questions deserve thoughtful discussion. Sheriffs welcome that conversation because public trust is earned through transparency, accountability and responsible stewardship of the tools entrusted to them.

The public should understand what this technology is and what it is not.

LPR technology has become one of many investigative tools that help sheriff's deputies respond more quickly when time matters most. They help locate missing children, endangered adults and people suffering from dementia. They help identify suspects in violent crimes, human trafficking investigations, robberies, shootings and homicides. They assist investigators when crimes cross county lines, allowing several law enforcement agencies to work together quickly when every second matters. And for victims and their families, those seconds can make all the difference in the world.

LPRs, however, do not monitor conversations, do not peer into homes and do not identify who is driving a vehicle. They simply capture a photograph of a license plate that is already visible to anyone traveling on a public roadway. LPRs provide investigators with leads that must still be verified through traditional police work. This technology does not replace investigators' traditional police work or their judgment and professionalism. And it certainly does not encroach upon or replace constitutional protections as critics of this technology claim.

Critics often point to isolated incidents from around the country as evidence that LPR technology itself is inherently flawed. But isolated misconduct by an individual user should not be mistaken for evidence that the technology itself is improper or that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement professionals are misusing it. No profession can promise that every individual will always make the right decision. Medicine cannot. Education cannot. Government cannot. Law enforcement is no different.

Technology should never be beyond oversight. And misinformation and fear should not prevent law enforcement from using lawful tools that demonstrably make communities safer.

Sheriffs have always embraced innovation and technology that helps protect South Carolinians. That is why South Carolina's law enforcement agencies have safeguards governing LPR use in place, supervisory oversight of searches, documented investigative purposes and mechanisms for accountability when those standards are violated.

The conversation should not be whether law enforcement should have effective investigative tools. The conversation should be how the tools are used with transparent responsibly and with meaningful oversight. South Carolina's sheriffs support responsible use of LPR technology because it has repeatedly proven its value in protecting victims, locating missing persons, solving crimes and making our communities safer from Oconee County through Richland County down to Charleston County and all our great state in between.

What should not be lost in the debate is why sheriffs use this technology in the first place.

Millions of legitimate law enforcement LPR system uses occur every year nationwide to recover stolen property, locate wanted suspects, rescue victims, thwart human trafficking and solve serious crimes. Unfortunately, those successes rarely make headlines because they represent law enforcement quietly doing its dangerous and sometimes thankless job.

South Carolina's sheriffs are committed to using every lawful tool available to protect the people they serve while holding themselves and their agencies to the highest standards with earnest accountability when the public's trust or the law demands it.

Like every investigative tool available to law enforcement, LPRs must be used responsibly. These systems are not open databases where anyone can search whatever they wish whenever they wish. Every search conducted by a deputy leaves a digital footprint. Sheriff's offices and departments maintain audit logs, user permissions, supervisory oversight and governance for access and appropriate use. Every search can be reviewed, and every user can be identified.

Yes, an LPR system can be abused if an individual chooses to violate policy or state law. The same is true of criminal history databases, driver's license information, body-worn cameras or any number of technologies used every day by public safety professionals. The question is not whether misconduct is possible. The question is what happens when misconduct occurs. The answer is perhaps the most overlooked fact in today's debate. Accountability already exists.

Sheriffs have a responsibility to investigate allegations of employee misconduct. When misuse is identified, it is investigated. If an allegation involving misuse of law enforcement authority is substantiated, sheriffs take disciplinary action. Under state law, that misconduct is then reported to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for review and up to South Carolina's Law Enforcement Training Council. The Law Enforcement Training Council has the authority to suspend or permanently revoke an officer's certification as a law enforcement officer here in South Carolina.

That is not theoretical accountability. It is real accountability, grounded in state law, professional standards and the solemn responsibility every sheriff owes to the people they serve.

South Carolina's sheriffs reject the false choice between protecting our communities and protecting the public's trust. Public trust is the very foundation of everything we do. As we introduce new technologies to better protect our neighborhoods and tackle crime, our commitment to listening to your concerns will not waver. We are dedicated to delivering modern, effective policing, but never at the expense of the constitutional rights and privacy you deserve. We will continue to do both because the badge demands accountability, the law requires it, and the people of South Carolina deserve nothing less.

Should you have any questions or need further information, please contact Sally Foster, executive director of the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association, by phone at (803) 772-1101 or by email at sfoster@sheriffsc.com.