SYLVANIA, Ohio — The city of Sylvania recently added license plate readers when city officials saw the success of it in other communities.
But Dani Fuller, the owner of Fuller Art House in downtown Sylvania, is not too fond of them. She's lived in the city for about 10 years and thinks the cameras might concern residents.
"Sylvania's a very safe community, we have a great town," she said. "I think there's a lot of other things we can be investing our time, money and concerns with."
Sylvania Police Chief Danilynn Miller said the cameras will benefit everyone coming and leaving the city.
"Business owners or the shoplifters that are coming in town and leaving, people that are having their cars broken into," Miller said, describing what the technology can be used for. "We get a description of the vehicle, then we can look them up by the description of the vehicle. We can look them up by a plate."
Part of the reason Sylvania added the cameras was their usefulness to other police departments like Perrysburg.
"We've easily had a couple dozen successful things," said Perrysburg police Sgt. Jesse Gomez. "Whether it's stolen vehicles, stolen license plates. Things of that nature."
Perrysburg City Council on Monday approved 10 more cameras for installation, adding to the seven that the city already has.
Police are also able to access the cameras of other communities, like Toledo, that use the technology.
Miller said this isn't a sign of Big Brother tracking everyone's move.
"It's not a red-light camera, it's not a speed camera," she said. "We're not getting any monies back for putting these up. If anything, we're paying to have this added safety features for our residents."
The department said each camera costs $3,000 per year.
Fuller said she's not completely against the cameras but would like to see money used for things other necessities in the community.
"If they have the evidence to back it up, I guess that's something they should come forward with some of the information that they're sharing with us," she said.
Sylvania police said since installing the cameras in January, they have already caught a hit-and-skip suspect. The department also said it is working on posting success stories on its website.