SC’s arrest sparks pressure for legislation on license plate readers

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A controversial traffic stop that occurred last month in North Myrtle Beach is renewing the push for greater law enforcement accountability and state regulations.

State Rep. Todd Rutherford tried three times to introduce a bill to regulate license plate readers, but it never made it to the House floor.

Paul Bowers of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina said he believes there is a statewide problem with license plate reader laws.

“The problem is that no one along the way cares about accountability,” Bowers said. “No one is putting up guardrails on how this technology is used. In the case of automatic license plates in particular, there are often no real rules about how the data is collected, how it is stored, how long it is retained, or how it can be used as evidence in court.”

La’Nisha Hemingway, 18, has filed a lawsuit against North Myrtle Beach police, claiming she was wrongfully held at gunpoint.

The lawsuit says officers received a notification from a license plate reader that her car had been stolen.

Shortly after Hemingway was stopped, officers realized they had stopped the wrong car. The lawsuit alleges the confirmation was captured on body camera footage.

Some influential advocates argue that better technology standards could have prevented this situation, but that the officers involved are equally responsible for its escalation.

The shooting occurred Tuesday in the Prosperity neighborhood on Gravel Road while deputies and...

“We also wonder if the license plate reader is at fault in this case, did he obtain this information before the officer got out of the car, which was the wrong car? Who is to blame at this point?” Rutherford said.

Bodycam footage also shows that at least one of the officers knew he was pulling up in the wrong car, prompting lawmakers like Rutherford to ask further questions.

“Here we have a situation where the officer knew before drawing her weapon that the situation did not warrant it, but she did it anyway,” Rutherford said. “And what will happen to her? Why are we waiting to find out? Why can’t they tell us?”