Sirens, Police Cars, Fire Trucks, and Ambulances:

• Police scanner (live info)
• PulsePoint app (live info)
• Police log (on a few hours delay)
• Whatcom County Jail Bookings
• Bellingham Police Department Twitter

Traffic and Transit Incidents:

• Real-time alerts for I-5, SR 11 (Chuckanut Dr), SR 539 (Guide Meridian), SR 542 (Sunset Dr and Mount Baker Hwy), SR 548 (Grandview Rd, Blaine Rd, and Peace Portal Dr)
• WSDOT North Twitter
• WTA Twitter
• Bellingham Traffic Cameras

Gunshots, Explosions, and Assorted Booms:

• A handy month-by-month guide to those booms
• "Gunshots" are usually just cars backfiring: How Does Anti-Lag Work, and Why Am I Now Deaf?
• Is it June, July, or August? Probably fireworks at the baseball stadium: Bellingham Bells Schedule
• Is it very cold or windy? Might be a transformer explosion; check for nearby power outages
• Live near one of Bellingham's many railways? Might be train cars banging together
• Live near the waterfront? Might be recycled metal being loaded at the port
• Have PTSD from the pipeline explosion and need more reassurance that the boom you heard was benign? Check the City of Bellingham Emergency Communications channels -- if something major actually happened then there would be an alert about it
• "Boomhorses" are a /Bellingham injoke about the frequent boomposting in this sub
• Posting "what was that boom?" during a storm gets a roasting, so check the weather first

Smoke, Steam, and Haze:

• The plume in downtown Bellingham is steam from the PSE Encogen power plant
• The plumes in the Ferndale/Blaine area are mostly steam from the Ferndale Refinery and Cherry Point Refinery
• The plume from Mount Baker is volcanic steam venting
• May-October is wildfire season. If you want to know where the smoke is coming from, check the Northwest Fire Science Consortium and the Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map
• If you want to know how concerned you should be, check the Washington's Air Monitoring Network Smoke Forecast and the PurpleAir Air Quality Map

Strange Lights in the Sky:

• Bunches of white lights moving across the sky together are StarLink satellite launches. For confirmation, check their launch schedule. Bellingham seems to be under the flight path of the ones out of Florida. Previously on /Bellingham: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
• The blue circular light reflecting off the clouds at night is coming from the Bellingham Towers
• The pink/purple glow on the northern horizon is from grow lights in Canadian greenhouses
• The occasional pulsing orange glow low on the horizon in the direction of Blaine/Ferndale is flaring from the Ferndale Refinery or Cherry Point Refinery. Previously on /Bellingham: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
• Greenish lights low on the northern horizon could be the Northern Lights, so check the NOAA Aurora Forecast
• Bright blue-green flashes when it's cold or windy are most likely the aforementioned transformer explosions
• Other strange lights are most likely annual meteor showers, planetary conjunctions, or fireballs, so check the Calendar of Astronomical Events and American Meteor Society Recent Events
• Posting "what was that flash?" during a storm gets a roasting, so check the weather first
• If none of the above explain what you saw then maybe lay off the shrooms ;)

White Fluff in the Sky in May:

• Those are cottonwood seeds and they don't trigger pollen allergies
• Previously on /Bellingham: 1 2 3 4

Giant Rocks on Trucks:

• They're for the Mouth of the Columbia River Jetty System Major Rehabilitation Project
• More info: What's the Deal With: Those big boulders on trailers? and Skagit County Greenschist Headed to the Columbia
• Previously on /Bellingham: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Local News and Major Events:

• City of Bellingham News Releases
• City of Bellingham Twitter
• Cascadia Daily News: Local
• KGMI News Radio: Local
• Bellingham Hearld: Local
• Annual Bellingham and Whatcom County Events

Hello there. I'm not certain where else to ask.
I'm new to listening to police scanners, and I'm currently trying out different mobile apps. I don't have the money to buy one so please don't tell me to "just go buy one". I live in USA. But on to my concern.
Something I've noticed is that a couple of the apps mention that if my device is capable it will have alpha tags.
1. What are alpha tags?
2. How do I find a list of the signal codes that are being used if my county's/city's police department signal codes aren't coming up in a Google search? I can find a few codes used by an adjoining county but it sounds like there are more codes in my county. At least Google shows me where the police department and fire departments and hospitals are located.
3. How do you understand which parts are codes being used? It sounds like some of the numbers might be identifiers for the responders but I could be mistaken.
I have tried using Google to answer my questions but maybe I am just bad at Googling for answers.

Hi everyone,
Just a friendly reminder that the Voter Registration Close of Books date is Tuesday, May 30th because of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday the 29th. Paper registrations must be in our hands by 5pm on the 30th OR registration updates through the Citizen Portal must be submitted by 11:59pm in order for you to register normally and vote a regular ballot in the June Primary! (This is true for both the city and the county.)
 
Same Day Registration will be available after this date, both for Early Voting and on Election Day, but we encourage everyone to complete their registration by Close of Books. If you do not, you will only be able to vote a provisional ballot, and it won't go into the regular ballot scanner.
 
If you have any questions, please contact us at 434-970-3250 or [email protected]. (Albemarle County can be reached at 434-972-4173 or [email protected].)

Hello, I'm not sure if I'll be getting any reply in my post, but I'm still writing in hopes that I'll get a recommendation.
TL:DR at the bottom.
Please help me pick an android phone with the following priorities in mind for me:

• budget = $340 (cannot be refurbsihed/second hand)
• Updates = 4-5 yrs software/security updates
• will be used for the following mostly = phone calls, video calls, MS365 suite (Teams, Outlook, Todo, etc), texting, some photography (scanning & taking pics of docs etc.), should have good wifi & bluetooth connectivity
• AndroidOS that doesn't have much bloatware (Xaomi phones and Samsung phones are a no-no)
• can handle multitasking everyday
• battery life = as long as it has a decent battery for a day i'm good
• a physical fingerprint scanner if possible
• screen not bigger than 6.1"

Phones that I've already looked into: Google Pixel series (7a & 6a); Oneplus 11, 11R, Nord series. However, after watching many reviews, the Googke Pixel series seem to have wifi speed issues and heats up pretty fast in hot countries (i live in such a county) in doing even basic tasks, so i think that is a deal breaker for me. otherwise, it was my 1st choice from the get-go.
Promising phones look like the OnePlus 11 & 11R series. However, they fall pretty much away from my budget & i don't think their prices will get discounted any time soon. The Nord series seem more affordable. But i'm not sure which should I go for? - Nord 2T or the recently released CE Lite? Any recommendations would be helpful.
Before making a post, I searched the sub to find some usecase that would be similar to what i'm trying to find, however, it didn't really fit. so...any answers/recommendations really would help!I have a few months left before making a purchase so if you think any new phones that might get released in its European variant would be worth the wait, I'd like to know as well!
TL:DR = want android phone that is snappy & works well w MS suite; budget $340; leaning towards oneplus but not sure which. recommendations are v much appreciated!

Hello, I'm not sure if I'll be getting any reply in my post, but I'm still writing in hopes that I'll get a recommendation. TL:DR at the bottom.
Please PickAnAndroidForMe with the following priorities in mind for me:

• budget = $340 (cannot be refurbsihed/second hand)
• Updates = 4-5 yrs software/security updates
• will be used for the following mostly = phone calls, video calls, MS365 suite (Teams, Outlook, Todo, etc), texting, some photography (scanning & taking pics of docs etc.), should have good wifi & bluetooth connectivity
• AndroidOS that doesn't have much bloatware (Xaomi phones and Samsung phones are a no-no)
• can handle multitasking everyday
• battery life = as long as it has a decent battery for a day i'm good
• a physical fingerprint scanner if possible
• screen not bigger than 6.1"

Phones that I've already looked into: Google Pixel series (7a & 6a); Oneplus 11, 11R, Nord series However, after watching many reviews, the Googke Pixel series seem to have wifi speed issues and heats up pretty fast in hot countries (i live in such a county) in doing even basic tasks, so i think that is a deal breaker for me. otherwise, it was my 1st choice from the get-go.
Promising phones look like the OnePlus 11 & 11R series. However, they fall pretty much away from my budget & i don't think their prices will get discounted any time soon. The Nord series seem more affordable. But i'm not sure which should I go for? - Nord 2T or the recently released CE Lite? Any recommendations would be helpful.
Before making a post, I searched the sub to find some usecase that would be similar to what i'm trying to find, however, it didn't really fit. so...any answers/recommendations really would help!
I have a few months left before making a purchase so if you think any new phones that might get released in its European variant would be worth the wait, I'd like to know as well!
​
TL:DR = want android phone that is snappy & works well w MS suite; budget $340; leaning towards oneplus but not sure which. recommendations are v much appreciated!

Hello,
I'm not sure if I'll be getting any reply in my post, but I'm still writing in hopes that I'll get a recommendation. TL:DR at the bottom.
Please help me pick an android phone with the following priorities in mind for me:

• budget = $340 (cannot be refurbsihed/second hand)
• Updates = 4-5 yrs software/security updates
• will be used for the following mostly = phone calls, video calls, MS365 suite (Teams, Outlook, Todo, etc), texting, some photography (scanning & taking pics of docs etc.), should have good wifi & bluetooth connectivity
• AndroidOS that doesn't have much bloatware (Xaomi phones and Samsung phones are a no-no)
• can handle multitasking everyday
• battery life = as long as it has a decent battery for a day i'm good
• a physical fingerprint scanner if possible
• screen not bigger than 6.1"

Phones that I've already looked into: Google Pixel series (7a & 6a); Oneplus 11, 11R, Nord series
However, after watching many reviews, the Googke Pixel series seem to have wifi speed issues and heats up pretty fast in hot countries (i live in such a county) in doing even basic tasks, so i think that is a deal breaker for me. otherwise, it was my 1st choice from the get-go.
Promising phones look like the OnePlus 11 & 11R series. However, they fall pretty much away from my budget & i don't think their prices will get discounted any time soon. The Nord series seem more affordable. But i'm not sure which should I go for? - Nord 2T or the recently released CE Lite? Any recommendations would be helpful.
Before making a post, I searched the sub to find some usecase that would be similar to what i'm trying to find, however, it didn't really fit. so...any answers/recommendations really would help! I have a few months left before making a purchase so if you think any new phones that might get released in its European variant would be worth the wait, I'd like to know as well!
TL:DR = want android phone that is snappy & works well w MS suite; budget $340; leaning towards oneplus but not sure which. recommendations are v much appreciated!

Operation report
Designation: Iron Storm
Day 8: 22nd of September, 2070
The assault on the port city of Kuruk was partially a success. While the city and its defenders did surrender, roughly 27% of the city has been destroyed by bombers and armored vehicles. General Andrew Steele's policy of treating the population of Kuruk as enemies caused distrust among the NATO command staff.
The 1st hybrid assault company (HAC) failed in its mission to capture the mayor of Kuruk alive. The mayor along with the rest of the garrison officers and nobility committed suicide before intervention was possible. The company suffered losses and Captain Logan Connors stated the following.
"Their magic is unpredictable. They're making monsters underground and we're being ambushed everywhere we go by their mages. We need magic of our own. The scanners aren't enough."
Many, most notably Generals Jackson Girard, Pedro Santos, Andre Moulin, and Leonardo Ricci have expressed themselves to be completely against General Steele's practices. Anyone that actively takes up arms and engages NATO forces should be considered an enemy but to cause this much damage because of rejection for surrender is not acceptable. Prince Rahno Wolfash stated the following.
"They will gladly murder us all if they had the chance. Monsters, mutants, magic, and death machines. They'll use all of it and more. They'll throw wave after wave of their people if to drown us. The elves cannot change. I don't care how many villages you persuade, Canus will never accept it."
This kind of fanaticism is not new to NATO and some of its representatives agree and share the sentiment with the Rosians. However, the killing of innocent and surrendering people will no longer be tolerated and anyone found breaking these rules will face repercussions.
After two days Brigadier General Theodore Smith was granted authorization to send a force to the Wasteland. Colonel Philip White volunteered for the assignment and his battalion along with Captain Aaron Lewis' company was deployed.
On the same day, they engaged a sizable orc force consisting of the now-dubbed Bone Claws and Black Hounds clans. The tight and unorganized masses were easily picked off by the IFVs. While the Marines have spent a significant amount of ammunition, they suffered no casualties due to the aid of the Storm Wolves clan. Colonel White stated the following.
"These bastards are tough and relentless. They just keep running. If it weren't for the armor and Glasha's boys some of my men wouldn't be breathing. I don't know why they're attacking her but I know one thing. There's a hell of a lot more of 'em out there and we gotta burn 'em before the horde gets bigger."
He [Colonel Philip White] requested a meeting with General Nathan Ryker and Admiral Edward Johnson to discuss sending more troops south. He also requested that the USMC bring in PMCs, more specifically the Irish Shamrock contractors.
Day 9: 23rd of September, 2070
A total of 137 squads of special forces were sent to the other side of the North Alston River. These were derived from the US Army Special Forces, the British SAS, and the German KSK respectively. The forces of the elven eleventh and twelfth armies have relocated further north and set up a front supposedly to block the NATO advance.
The Special Forces squad designated as Striker 1 had located and eliminated Generals Lyklor Balphine and Reebus Octo. Information gathered at the camp showed that the supreme commander of the elven army, First General Laeroth Leobel, had ordered all forces in the south to retreat and set up a defensive perimeter. A series of trenches and traps have already been set in the north. This should serve as proof that NATO needs to hasten its pace.
Additional news:
The Rosian, tribal, and elven delegations have crossed the Rift into the United States. President McShane had organized for them to be driven to the nearest airport and then flown to Washington D.C. There they will be given a tour and an audience with the President.
—
Elyana, Empire of Light
Red season, cycle 3000 A.E. of the Imperial Calendar
"Will you please slow down?", Corvus kept telling his friend as they walked down the marble halls of the Senate house. In contrast to the Royal palace, the Senate house was rather plain both inside and out. Few decorations stood out apart from the statues of past senators and emperors. They preferred it this way. They were simple people. Old and wise, the senators were regarded as the mind of the Empire whereas the preachers were its heart and the army was the body.
"Just stop.", Corvus said again, "This is a suicide, Marquis."
"And what would you have me do, Corvus?", Marquis snapped back, "Lie? Pretend like everything is fine? That we're not plummeting to our deaths?"
"I share your sentiment but we have no plan of attack. Canus holds all the cards and his preachers have everyone convinced the Empire is facing only minor setbacks. We have no way of proving the opposite."
Marquis sighed before answering, "We have supporters."
"Only a handful. The current ratio is eighty-four to sixteen for war. Jassus and Halimon might have some influence but we remain outnumbered."
This was all true. Most of the Senate and pretty much all of the people in Elyana believe Canus' words. Marquis and Corvus knew the truth. Or at the very least they knew which words were lies. But there was no way of proving any of it. Marquis was a smart man. A noble man. A man of truth, justice, and the people. There were few like him left, one of which was Corvus. But Corvus also knew how to fight battles and retreat when necessary.
"So you would have us keel over?", Marquis asked.
"I would have us live, my friend. And if you go in there and present your claims with nothing to back them up, Canus will have you killed. You wouldn't be the first."
No, he wouldn't be. High Preacher Palius always came to his mind when he was in a situation like this. Lies are the ally of darkness and enemies of the light. These were his last words before the senate, the people, and the emperor. Damn the Inquisition. Damn them and their games.
"And if you had evidence?", a voice spoke behind them. A man in a pale cloak with his head lowered stepped forward from behind a pillar. He stood in front of the senators and raised his head slightly.
"Prince Hagmar Pasos.", Corvus exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"I overheard your conversation. Senator Marquis, you should present your case before the Senate and my father. This will help you."
Hagmar took out a scroll from his cloak and handed it to Marquis. It was very pale with a blue and gold ribbon holding it together. Marquis tried to open it but Hagmar stopped him.
"Not yet. The ribbon must stay on to prove its legitimacy."
"What is inside of it?", Marquis asked.
"The truth. Of Galdush, of the Rosian vassals, of the West coast, of everything. Read it to them."
"Can you not do it yourself, my prince?", Corvus asked.
"I cannot. If I do, my father will not be pleased and he will most certainly have me face repercussions."
"No. He would not dare harm his own child."
Hagmar rubbed his neck in response, "I would not be so sure, senator."
"And the rest of your family?", Marquis asked.
"No one suspects anything for now. But the ribbon is mine. As soon as you present it, everyone will know. I suspect the Inquisition has already sent spies. It is they and General Leobel who plot this deceit."
"Then you must leave the capital.", Corvus said.
"I made arrangements. You must do the same. No one who is against war will be safe after today. Once the session is finished you must head to the slums of the southern district. There will be someone there for you."
"They know I am coming?", Marquis asked.
"No. But they will know when you arrive."
"This might not work.", Corvus said, "They might all think we are mad traitors."
"They will not.", Marquis said, "At the very least, tensions between the Senate and the emperor will grow."
"My father will do what he needs to uphold his authority. But his paranoia will beat him. Now you must go, quickly."
"May the spirits guide you, prince."
Hagmar chuckled at that, "They have guided us here. I doubt they have a nicer place for me."
With that, he left and the two senators entered the Grand Pale Chamber. It was a very large chamber with seats arranged in a pentagonal shape, with one of the sides being reserved for the emperor. Like the rest of the building, it was rather simple in its design. The only ornate part was the throne on top of which the imperial banner and standard stood.
Almost everyone was gathered. The only person that was missing was Cato Aquil Donos. Marquis felt a heavy weight on his heart. He was about to expose the truth before the senate and the emperor himself. He only hoped that it would make a difference.
"Senators! Friends.", Canus began speaking as he stood up from his throne, "With the timely arrival of Marquis Drax and Corvus Anon, we can finally begin."
"Your Majesty, Senator Cato Aquil Donos is still missing.", one of the senators, Dathos Machare said.
"Indeed. But we cannot afford to postpone this meeting any longer. So let us discuss the matter at hand."
"I heard that the armies have begun conscripting people into their ranks.", Jassus Conro was the first to speak, "Such a thing has not happened since the Black Powder rebellion."
"I understand your concern. The recent losses in the south have forced us to bolster our numbers. Rest assured, however, these conscriptions will be kept at a minimum."
"What of General Delsaran Bryora?", Dayor asked, "The enemy has seized Zirith. We assumed he would return here."
"You are mistaken.", Canus said, "Zirith along with the southern vassals is currently being contested. The fifth, sixth, and tenth armies are fighting the enemy as we speak. It is tough but with the help of the eleventh and twelfth, who are preparing to reinforce them, I'm sure the enemy will be driven out."
"And what of the rumors of the enemy?", Corvus asked, "Survivors and peasants alike tell tales of iron behemoths with cannons for heads and wyverns and drakes of iron that spew fire. They say that not even the dwarves can match their machines."
Canus tapped his throne and swallowed, "Rumor, Senator Corvus. They are merely rumors."
"Are the news from the west rumors? A fleet of steel that seized Lashil in a single day has marched on Fort Orkos. I heard they have weapons the size of the beasts of Kaplios."
"I also heard that they have no magic.", Canus interjected, "And if that were true we have nothing to worry about. The spirits are with us. And these heathens will perish at the sight of their power."
Corvus looked at Marquis, who clutched to the scroll like his life depended on it. The two men nodded to each other and Marquis stood up.
"May I have the Stand?", he asked and the emperor nodded.
Marquis walked to the center of the room. Having the Stand was no small matter. It meant you were addressing the entire Senate and no one could interrupt you until you were finished. Everyone needed to respect this. He lifted the scroll into the air and slowly walked in a circle for everyone to see. They gasped as they saw the ribbon. Canus especially.
"Where did you get that?", Canus asked with no subtle anger in his voice.
Marquis didn't answer. Instead, he unfolded the ribbon and started reading. Keeping his composure he began, "We will start at the battle of Galdush. General Drannor Crax of the seventh army led his forces to retake the plains of Galdush. Only hundreds survived and Drannor is presumed dead. The enemy, humans for those unaware, had not attacked any imperial city, castle, or fort. Instead, they requested to parlay. Before this, they rescued the Meilume nobility, the Belus family, and have not harmed them in any way. At the same time, they requested an audience with the Rosian leaders. All three parties met to negotiate peace but talks were interrupted by inquisitorial assassins organized by Senator Cato Aquil Donos. He is currently in custody in Meilume."
"That is outrageous!", Senator Dasos yelled.
"Silence yourself!", Corvus shouted back, 'He has the stand! I was there and so were you!"
"The assassination failed.", Marquis continued, "Duke Vizoz Gran of Zirith was killed. He made a deal with General Delsaran Bryora of the fifth army, who orchestrated the subjugation of the Rosian vassals along with generals Gormon Palion of the sixth and Myrdin Jamora of the tenth army. The humans retaliated and within several days seized Fort Mundus. Most of the tenth army was wiped out and the fate of General Jamora is unknown. Soon after they liberated the rest of Alston and Zirith before killing General Bryora, who attempted to murder Duchess Taila Gran. After this, they moved on to Opherin where they defeated the tenth army and ninth navy. The fate of General Palion remains unknown but we do know that Admiral Kalus survived along with his flagship. This concluded their attacks in the South. At roughly the same time they crossed the rift on the coast of Lashil and effectively seized the port city."
Marquis let the news sink in. Murmurs began filling the entire chamber and soon only a cacophony of whispers and gasps could be heard. This was it. This was the spark that he was waiting for. Now there was no way around it. Even if Canus dismisses the claims as hearsay and speculation or even worse, lies, the damage was done. But Canus did something unexpected.
He started banging on his throne and ordering everyone to silence themselves. He then gestured to Marquis to continue, "Don't let us interrupt you. Please, finish your speech. You still have the Stand."
Marquis was taken aback by this but he didn't let it show. Instead, he continued reading, "Following the Rosian liberation as they call it, the humans remained quiet for over a moon cycle. They rebuilt the Rosian vassals, strengthened their armies, and even defended the elven people from rogues, banditry, and feral beasts. This earned them the favor of Mayor Bellon Belus, who still speaks highly of them. They respected our traditions and have not harmed anyone undeserving of their rage. However, their passiveness came to an end when they sent their armies to Enen, Kuruk, and Fort Orkos. The fort was destroyed along with the third army and General Castien Olar. The mayor of Enen was spared and only the army and garrison structures of the city were burned. Then…"
Marquis stopped. He wasn't sure how to continue this.
"Go on.", Canus said.
"Almost a third of Kuruk was destroyed by the humans' metal wyverns. Mayor Caelon Belus declared Kuruk a fortress city, labeling the people inside as defenders and soldiers. The humans took this threat seriously and rained fire on the streets and buildings. Mayor Belus committed suicide along with the garrison command staff and head mage. Tens of thousands died and the city surrendered. Since the beginning of this war, we have lost nearly six armies and two fleets. Three generals and one admiral are dead, the rest are unaccounted for. We lost three forts, our Rosian vassals, and a coastal city. Myla continues to fall and Meilume is all but under their control. Have you anything to say, your majesty? Have you anything to say about why you kept this from us? Do we not deserve to know the truth?"
Murmurs filled the room again. Marquis stared at Canus, who sat on his throne with a strangely calm expression. He stood up and walked down the steps, silencing everyone and drawing attention to himself with his presence alone.
"My son gave that to you, did he not?", he asked Marquis, "Silly boy. He thought he could persuade the Senate like that? Why do you not share how we have also killed many of their soldiers?! How our spears and arrows pierce their armor. How our magic and machines tear them apart. You might think it is minuscule in comparison and you would be right. But how many times have we faced threats like this? How many times have we fought enemies we knew nothing about? Our conquest of South Altia against the jungle tribes and their magic. Or the conquering of Kaplios against the Warwaki nomads and their monsters. Even the Black Powder rebellion of the dwarves. We crushed them all. Our magic remains strong and our will remains indomitable. Were it not so, would the spirits choose us?!"
"This is different. No foe has ever dealt a blow like this, especially not this quickly."
"So we fight harder. They have no magic. They do not know our world and its secrets. They are outnumbered and funneled."
"Hundreds of thousands have already died!", Marquis shouted at the top of his lungs, "Forts destroyed, castles crumbled, entire cities lost! Is that not proof enough that we must stop this madness?"
"The only thing we need to stop is holding ourselves back. No more will we be bound by honor and blinded by glory. General Leobel showed me a new strategy he came up with. I am sure that will serve us nicely."
All Marquis could do is shake his head in shock and disbelief, "Madness. You have all gone mad. I will not be a part of this.". He stormed to the door and was stopped by the guards who pointed their spears at him.
"Let him go.", Canus spoke, "I must warn you, Marquis. If you go through that door, you will no longer be a senator. You will no longer have any authority in the Empire of Light."
"No use for authority over a carcass.", Marquis spat and left the chamber. The room was now quiet. No one dared to say anything after that.
"You may go.", Canus said, "This meeting is over."
Without hesitation, all the senators stood up and left the chamber. Canus stood in the center alone and contemplated the situation.
"Hagmar.", he said to himself, "What kind of treachery are you plotting, boy?"
—
Outside Kuruk, NATO occupied territory
25th of September, 2070
The battle for Kuruk lasted an additional day. Just like the forts and Enen, Kuruk had a system of underground tunnels in which thousands upon thousands of civilians hid from the carnage above. That was the reason REC forces couldn't just fill them with fire. The circumstances weren't favorable for either side as none could reliably use explosives for fear of the tunnels collapsing. The defenders were few so it didn't take too long before they surrendered. Camps were built inside to house the POWs while the rubble was slowly being moved. Kuruk's nature of being a city built on an island in the middle of a large river made things rather difficult for the engineers. But if there was one thing they knew how to solve it was practical problems.
Rangers and knights were still trying to find their dead or at least their dog tags. Almost a third of the mayor's castle collapsed in on itself after the purple explosion so there was no way to know for certain who was dead and who wasn't apart from the vital signs being disconnected. Some used that as proof of their death while others spoke against it, using Captain Connors and Commander Blazewing as an example.
Both of them were in a medical tent and healed by the mages. Eldana was used to mages treating her injuries but Logan still couldn't get his head around it. She got up from her bed and walked over to his side of the room. He was lying on his belly with a white cloth covering his back. The mages' spells cleansed the worst of the burns but there was still deep scarring that needed to heal. They explained that the fire was magic-based and that treating it was difficult. He would most likely have burns on his back for the rest of his life.
Eldana felt bad. Like it was her fault. It wasn't, he put his life on the line to save hers. But still, it hurt. She owed him her life and didn't even thank him. She was about to say something when a Rosian mage and a human medic approached Logan. One of them slowly took the cloth off his back, revealing faintly purplish burnt skin. The mage brought her hands to his back and quietly chanted. Her palms glowed a dull green and Logan's back reacted but not much seemed to have happened.
"Those burns will stay.", she said, "I cannot remove them. If the fire was natural then-"
"It's fine.", Logan said as he slowly got up. He grunted in exhaustion and slight pain while getting to his feet. Eldana saw the scars on his chest and abdomen, mostly cuts along with a hole in his left shoulder and belly. A young veteran. It was an impressive sight. She had scars of her own but mostly from training or fighting ferals. She had never been in an actual war up until recent months.
"I recommend light exercise.", the doctor said as he wrote his report, "But nothing strenuous."
"Where's the rest of my platoon?", Logan asked.
"They've been relocated further east toward Oms with the British. Lieutenant Wilson is leading them."
"Get me over there."
The doctor stopped writing and raised his gaze to look into Logan's eyes, "Absolutely not. You and Commander Blazewing along with the other injured are staying here until the end of the week."
"On whose orders?"
"Doctor's orders. I can't let you go back out there, captain."
"I'm fine.", Logan said and started walking but grunted with each step until the doctor and the mage stopped him.
"No, you are not.", the mage said, "Your energy is not strong enough."
"Logan.", Eldana spoke, "Please. Just stay. The men will be fine, they're capable. You need rest."
The captain looked at her with an angered and tired look. He slumped back on his bed and rubbed his eyes. Eldana walked over to him.
"I'll look after him.", she told the doctor, "He won't go anywhere."
The mage and the doctor shared a glance before nodding and leaving. They took one last look at the two officers before closing the door. Eldana sat down next to Logan and gingerly placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her briefly before straightening his back.
"I should be out there.", he said, "I need to be out there."
"The mage is right. You must recuperate.", she told him and lowered her hand down on her lap, "Thank you for shielding me. You didn't have to."
Logan didn't speak at first. He took a few moments before nodding and responding, "I acted on instinct. I would never let anyone under my command be in danger if I could prevent it."
"But you can't do anything now. They won't let you go to Oms. You gotta unwind a bit, put the toys down, and chill."
Logan looked at her with a frown and confusion.
"My men have been spending a lot of time around Emma.", Eldana said, making Logan laugh a little. It made her smile as well. Small moments like this helped them ease their minds. War was hard, no one denied it. And soldiers needed rest.
"Why do you do this?", Eldana asked, "Fight so hard. I understand avenging your people but your men speak of you like…"
"Like what?", Logan asked.
"Like war is your body and battle is the blood in your veins."
"A poetic description. I don't know. All the men in my family were soldiers. I want to say that it's genetic but that would be a half-truth. I've taught myself to forget everything other than the battle. Everything other than the simple truth."
"Which is?"
"The moment a battle begins, there are only allies, enemies, you, and your will to win. I don't think about my family, my friends, or those I've lost. I did a few times and I paid the price. So did others."
"You can't blame yourself."
"As the commanding officer, I'm the only one there is to blame. The lives lost are on me."
"No!", Eldana shouted, “You can’t be blamed for everything. You can’t control every part of a battle. I expected you to know that much. They’re soldiers, not your children.”
Neither of them spoke for a minute. The silence was eerie like one of them was planning to burst. Logan rubbed his knuckles. They were bandaged, most likely bruised from when he saved Eldana. She took one of his hands into her own.
“Thank you.”, she said softly, “Thank you for saving my life. Now I owe you.”
Logan scoffed at that, “You owe me nothing. You wouldn't be the first the say that and you're not going to be first. I hate it. No one owes me anything and yet they keep acting like they do. Like I did it to get something out of them.”
“The burden of command, right.”, Eldana said, making him turn to look into her eyes, “I picked up a few books that Lieutenant Wilson said I should read. They’re fascinating, we don’t have soldiers that are philosophers at the same time. One of the things that the book said was to always recall the first loss. Not to be burdened by it. Instead, to learn from it. Mine was four cycles ago. I had just finished my initiation into Knighthood. Soon after I was sent south. A group of orcs got past the garrison stationed on the border. We were young, fresh, and needed experience. So I was sent over there with fifty of my fellow knights and two hundred skirmishers. A sizeable force. It should have been enough. But by the time we reached the county, three villages were burned. One was still on fire somewhat. The orcs couldn't have been far now. I should have sent my skirmishers first. I should have at least scouted the area. But I was angry. Filled with guilt and hatred. I rode my horse as quickly as I could and my knights followed me. The skirmishers were on foot, they couldn't keep up. When we reached the burned remains of the villages I saw dozens of dead people. Some were even torn apart and chewed up. One of them was missing both of his legs and was still alive. He lay next to a well that was filled with body parts and blood. I dismounted and ran toward him. He kept repeating the same word as he bled out in my hands. Run. Run. Run. But it was too late. The orcs came out of the rubble, dozens of them, and attacked us. We fought back but they had us outnumbered and surrounded. Their hounds started killing our horses and my knights fell one by one. We killed many but we weren't ready to fight them all. I froze as I saw one of the orcs rip the head off of my second-in-command. Then it dawned on me. I wasn’t a knight. I was just a child. A child that got warriors killed.”
She paused as she held her tears back, “Then the skirmishers caught up to us, and the orcs were killed. I lost twenty-seven knights that day. That was the first and last time I let something like that happen.”
Logan didn't speak. He just took in what she said. The two of them weren’t so different. They shared a similar burden and responsibility. He put his hand on her shoulder as reassurance.
“My first was in Thailand. I was prepping to join the Special Forces. That was my first assignment. A remnant of True Salvation was there. I was sent in with a platoon. Everything was going as planned. The Salvationists weren’t as much of a threat as we thought they would be. With their plans destroyed and their systems ruined, they were just psychos with guns. Still dangerous but nothing we couldn’t handle. On the outskirts was an entrance to an underground hideout. This was it, I thought. The last cache of their information in Thailand. We went in too quickly. I lost two men and another got buried in the rubble. The whole thing collapsed and we never dug it up. Command just wrote him off as another casualty. I quit the program and went back to the Rangers.”
“It doesn’t sound like your fault.”, Eldana said.
“I could've been more careful. If we had waited for another squad, Floyd-”
“Could have died anyway. You can never plan for everything. Just like how you can’t be responsible for everything.”, Eldana reassured Logan, who kept looking down at his injured hands, “You are a great soldier and an even better warrior. No one denies that. But your past will continue to hold you back if you let it. Not accepting it and moving on is an insult to the lives lost. So fight for the living, not the dead.”
Logan looked at her and said nothing. Then he took her hand off of his, “I need to sleep.”
Eldana nodded and stood up, “Just don’t leave the room. I don’t want to hunt you down.”
She gave him one last smile before turning around and leaving. Logan lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling with his arm over his forehead. Not the dead, he thought to himself. Maybe some day.
End of Chapter 20
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Between 4-5pm 5/19 my wife and I were driving out to Bend towards the edge of Oregon City and there were dozens of police cars and trucks sirens on heading back towards Oregon City. Multiple SWAT units as well. Cops from Clackamas county, west linn and more. We've searched the news, Twitter, police scanners and asked Portland (they removed it because they "aren't [my] personal search service.")
I figured a police response of this magnitude was serious but I cant find anything about it. Anyone have an idea of what happened?

WSDOT SW on Twitter: "Both directions of SR 504 near Coldwater Lake remain closed due to a debris slide blocking the roadway. Crews are currently assessing the extent of the debris. There is currently no estimated time for reopening. Please avoid travel in the area. @wsp5pio https://t.co/ubmxB3SMbg" / Twitter
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Last night a landslide took out a chunk of roadway on SR 504 between the Coldwater Ridge and Johnston Road Observatory visitor centers at Mount St. Helens. Initial reports had this at milepost 51 but it looks to be closer to where Coldwater Creek goes under the roadway.
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Details at this time are very scarce but according to the Cowlitz County scanner last night, several people were stuck on the east side of where this slide hit with no way out. There was talk of bringing a helicopter in to get them out but the last I heard was they would have to wait until morning.
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Last night the slide was estimated at 200 yards of debris scattered over the road, but this morning it seems apparent the road has been washed out in the area.
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If your tourism plans have you going to see Mount St. Helens, the closest you'll be able to get by car is Coldwater Ridge for the foreseeable future.
If I see any links or more confirmed info on this, I'll edit this post.
*edited to add "the closest you can get by car" -- you can still hike in from Coldwater Ridge.

Anyone know what area in LA County Watts and Compton fall under? I checked the LAPD map for division locations but they don't cover those 2 areas and something said about Compton being Los Angeles County Sheriff's area but there is channel on the scanner I am currently listening to LAPD South Bureau but I don't think it covers Watts or Compton.

I saw body cam video of someone being arrested right after exiting their car at a park. No asking for ID, name, etc.... just arrested. The cop said he was on the SOR, he claimed he wasn't. They stated that his license plate "scanned hot" on an automated license plate scanner when he pulled in the parking lot - one of apparently thousands that this city is using.
This video disappeared *fast* I've tried to see if it's out there somewhere else - but I can't find it.
However - I did some research. They are inputting RSO's tag numbers in to these and setting them to alert if their cars go anywhere they aren't supposed to, drive by a school, etc...
These have existed for a long time, but they used to be in one patrol car here or there - they weren't unmanned. Now they're putting them up all over the place. Some places are regulating them but it doesn't seem like many are.
So, significant others beware, RSO's be sure to tell your spouses and children. I won't ever drive my guys car again, for sure.
I don't get how the entire COUNTRY isn't fighting against this one. It's SO invasive.
ALPR can also be used for geo-fencing of sex offenders. In this case, an alert would only sound if the license plate of a registered sex offender were detected within 500 yards of a school or playground. If the license plate were detected in an area that is legally allowable under the law, no alert would pop up.
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One of the major benefits of ALPR systems is that officers can immediately apprehend offenders when a certain license plate is recognized. This is made possible by the use of hotlists.
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And it’s not just police. Private groups on the lookout for porch pirates, crime suspects or reckless drivers can install cameras that feed into the police data base. Businesses can set up their own networks linked to police. In Alabama, Troy University installed license plate readers this month at all campus entrances and exits that alert campus police when registered sex offenders or those with felony warrants show up. Too bad if you borrowed the wrong person’s car, even that of a relative.
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LPR data is collected to assist in the monitoring of certain identified
individuals’ compliance with travel restrictions.
In some circumstances, a court can limit the movements of certain individuals for public
safety purposes. For instance, sex offenders, probationers and parolees, and people
subject to orders of protection may be subject to court-imposed restrictions on their
geographic movements. LPR systems can be useful in assisting with the enforcement of
geographic limitations on the movements of these types of individuals. Specifically, LPR
cameras can record the license plate numbers of vehicles observed near certain
locations such as schools and day care facilities, or residences and work addresses of
people protected by court orders. These locations and license plate numbers associated
with such individuals can be added to LPR systems to bring any potential violations to an
officer’s attention in real-time or the plate numbers can be queried against historical
LPR data. In these instances, the LPR data is merely evidence of a possible violation and
further verification is needed to identify the operator of a vehicle.
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Managing hot lists is a key element to the success of a LPR system. The content of hot
lists should be monitored to protect people whose vehicles license plates numbers are
contained on such lists from continued and unnecessary annoyance.
While some hot lists focus on identifying a particular vehicle regardless of who is
operating it (e.g., stolen cars, AMBER alerts), other lists include license plate numbers
known to be associated with specific individuals (e.g., sex offenders, wanted persons).
These hot lists, whether they relate to stolen cars or potential occupants of vehicles,
enhance law enforcement agencies’ ability to detect crime and provide critical officer
safety information.
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Many of the justifications for LPRs include an element of tracking individuals. It
has been suggested that sharing LPR data across jurisdictions can assist law
enforcement officials in tracking the movements of drug smugglers, money
laundering operations, documented gang members, sex offenders, individuals on
parole or wanted on warrants, and missing persons.
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It has also been put forward that LPRs can be useful in enforcing geographic
limitations on the movements of sex offenders, probationers and parolees, and
people subject to orders of protection. LPRs can record the license plate
numbers of vehicles parked or observed near certain locations such as schools
and day care facilities, or residences and work addresses of people protected by
court orders. These locations and individuals’ license plates can be added to LPR
systems to bring any violations to an officer’s attention.
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Several of the proposed uses of LPRs concern identifying or observing previously
undetected criminal conduct. Specifically, agencies seeking to utilize LPRs have
identified several instances involving the commission of crimes that prior to the
utilization of LPRs would not only have be extremely difficult to detect by police
officers but would only have been discovered by the individual’s chance
encounter with authorities. For example, data collected by LPRs could be used
to enforce geographic limitations on the movements of sex offenders,
probationers and parolees, and people subject to various court orders.
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One of the proposed purposes for the use of LPRs is to enforce geographic
limitations on the movements of sex offenders, probationers and parolees, and
people subject to orders of protection. This will require the exchange of license
plate numbers, relevant geographic information, and actual observation data
with agencies such as court clerks’ offices, probation departments and
departments of corrections.
Some individuals owe fees and fines to a variety of federal, state, and local
governmental agencies. LPR technology can also be utilized as a tool to facilitate
the collection of outstanding fees and fines owed to governmental entities.
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Deputy Mark Miller with the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office is one of the few in the department utilizing the new crime-fighting tool known as a license plate reader.
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"If you're driving a stolen vehicle or something like that ... then it's going to pop up and say 'stolen alert,'" Miller said.
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The technology comes from Vigilant Solutions in Livermore, California. It scans license plates in search of people with warrants at the local, state and federal level. License plate readers can also alert officers of vehicles tied to sex offenders or missing people. Anytime a vehicle with an LPR is on, it's scanning plates. That includes when it's traveling at highway speeds.
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(NC)
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Of the total of 3,996,094 plate reads during the seven months, there were 985 matches to 'hot list' databases. Of those, 973 were lost or stolen plates. There were 4 felony wants, 3 sex offenders, and 5 on the violent gang/terrorist list.
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In addition to stolen vehicles and missing persons, the Memorial Villages Police Department is alerted each time a registered sex offender drives past their cameras.
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“For the month of December, I had five sex offenders come through the Villages,” Schultz said.
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Because the chief said there are no registered sex offenders living in the villages – he took a closer look.
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“I was getting hits, but only on Sundays,” he said. “It was someone coming here to go to church.”
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The chief said he doesn’t have a problem with that, but he said if there’s ever an issue at a school or a daycare, the plate numbers collected by the cameras could be useful.
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Troy University police placed license plate readers this month at all 12 campus entrances and exits, instantly alerting campus police when individuals on the state sex offender registry and those with outstanding felony warrants are on campus.
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Clarksville (TN) PD uses the cameras to catch high-level, violent suspects, including those with warrants, sex offenders, stolen cars, and ones associated with Amber Alerts.
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Officers do not use the cameras for minor traffic infractions or to find someone who didn’t pay a small traffic ticket.
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“We’re going after the bigger people out there,” Cpl. John Miller with the Clarksville Police Department said. “Your sex offenders, your people with warrants, your people stealing vehicles, carjackings and such. When those plates enter the system and our cameras pick up on it, it will alert us.”
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Officers receive a notification when the Flock system finds a violent or high-level offender’s plate.
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The exact number of cameras and the locations are kept hidden from the public.
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Branson (MO) Police Chief Eric Schmitt told Branson Tri-Lakes News all of the cameras the department has obtained for the system aren’t fully functional, but in the first week of operation four arrests were made because of alerts from the license plate readers.
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The department made an arrest and recovered a vehicle from an out-of-state theft, made an arrest for someone who failed to register as a sex offender, and apprehended two suspect vehicles connected to crimes in the Branson area.
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Fort Smith Arkansas stats: https://old.fortsmithpd.org/ALPRStats.asp
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In addition to recording a license plate number, ALPR images include the car itself being photographed—and enough of the car usually is visible to identify the vehicle from the image. A US Department of Homeland Security memo about its recognition software claims that the agency is testing the software to make it capable of identifying the make and model of the car. A car with bumper stickers or a conspicuous paint job may be more likely to be identified from those pictures. Even the vehicle’s occupants may be photographed.
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After requesting that the City of San Leandro in Alameda County, California, send him a record of every time his car had been photographed, Mike Katz-Lacabe was shocked to learn that pictures of his car were taken more than 100 times in a year just by the San Leandro Police Department’s ALPRs. One of the pictures was of him with his daughters exiting their car in their home’s driveway.
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Because of the magnitude and depth of the information that ALPRs gather, such license plate databases are ripe for abuse. In February 2022, a former Everett, Washington, police officer stood trial for using police resources, including a license plate database, to stalk a woman and frame her boyfriend for drug crimes and theft in order to break them up.
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MISUSE
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The background of a 2020 US Supreme Court case, Van Buren v. United States, involved a successful sting operation conducted by the FBI that included an informant bribing a Georgia police officer to look up a license plate for a woman the informant said he met at a strip club, in exchange for $5,000.
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An audit of Minnesota’s Dakota County Sheriff’s Office revealed that 104 different police officers were looking up the driver’s license records—a type of database that typically is linked to ALPR databases—of a particular female police officer they were stalking online. Her records were accessed 425 times.
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A Pennsylvania officer has been accused of tracking his estranged wife’s movements using his department’s ALPRs. “The printout that we received regarding his use of the license plate readers included over 100 pages of entries as far as the positions, locations, and times of family members,” the chief of police said.
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A Massachusetts officer ran the plates of his ex-wife’s friends while stalking her.
A 2021 lawsuit claimed that New Jersey officers accessed a man’s license plate information to harass him for “befriending the ex-girlfriend of one of the officers.”
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In 1998, a Washington, DC, police officer admitted that he had used a license plate database to extort people whose cars were parked outside of a gay nightclub.
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Virginia State Police officers used ALPRs to scan the license plates of vehicles going to rallies for Barack Obama and Sarah Palin in 2008.
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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used local law enforcement scans to record cars going to a 2010 gun show.
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In 2020, the City of Pasadena purchased $80,000 worth of ALPR equipment while promising that none of its license plate logs would be furnished to ICE after concerns were raised that ALPR technology “fuels ICE’s deportation machine.” Months later, documents showed that Pasadena police were passing license plate data to ICE through a Homeland Security investigations team.
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In 2018, it was discovered that the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system had shared information with NCRIC that was accessible to ICE, despite BART’s internal sanctuary policies. BART had installed ALPRs in its MacArthur Station parking lot.
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FALSE ARRESTS/DETAINMENT
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Getting tagged as a hit by an ALPR is a frightening experience for innocent drivers. The tech tells cops they have a potentially dangerous criminal on their hands and they react accordingly. Drivers are somehow supposed to prove a negative at gunpoint and their inability to do only ratchets up the tension.
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A false hit by an ALPR has resulted in a federal lawsuit [PDF]. And the Contra Costa (CA) Sheriff’s Department quite possibly found the worst person to pull over because a machine told it to.
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As chair of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission, [Brian] Hofer, 41, has railed against what he describes as the seemingly arbitrary use of Automated License Plate Readers — cameras that ping police and private agencies by matching plate numbers with “vehicles of interest.”
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So the irony is not lost on him when he said he and his brother, a 23-year-old political science student at UC Berkeley, were detained, sometimes at gunpoint, on Nov. 25 when a license plate reader near the San Pablo Lytton Casino off Interstate Highway 80 alerted police that they were riding in a stolen car.
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Out came the guns, attached to officers sure they had caught a car thief. Hofer and his brother were detained at gunpoint while their rental vehicle was searched. Nearly a half-hour passed before any deputy attempted to determine whether the rental vehicle/contract was legit. Compounded errors are always a potential problem, but they reach critical mass quickly when government power attached to deadly force is involved. Here’s the backstory to the stop — a string of system failures that could have resulted in injury or death.
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Turns out though, that while the rental car he was driving had indeed been stolen from San Jose in October, either the police or the rental car agency hadn’t updated the proper authorities that the white Getaround Kia had been recovered and should therefore be removed from the “hot list” database.
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https://www.scribd.com/document/219889646/Green-v-San-Francisco
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This can lead to frightening circumstances for victims of ALPR errors, as Mark Molner discovered in 2014. Molner was driving home from a sonogram appointment with his pregnant wife when a police vehicle aggressively darted in front of his BMW and blocked his path in a Kansas City suburb. Puzzled as to what he could have done to cause such a stop, Molner was even more shocked—as was his wife, who was witnessing the scene—when the officer unholstered his gun, though he never pointed the weapon at Molner.
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As with the case of San Francisco’s Denise Green, the stop was triggered by an ALPR misread. The ALPR had read a “7” as a “2” on Molner’s license plate and erroneously alerted police that the plate belonged to a stolen vehicle. The responding officers neglected to manually check Molner’s license plate after the ALPR’s first scan. The police officer eventually verified that Molner’s BMW was not the stolen Oldsmobile sought by the police.
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Mistakes like this are not always caused by a camera misreading a license plate number, however, and may also occur when ALPR systems rely on unclear or faulty information. In a 2020 viral incident, police from Aurora, Colorado, pulled over Brittney Gilliam, who was taking her younger sister, daughter, and nieces to get their nails done. After realizing that the salon was closed, the family members returned to their car and were quickly surrounded by police officers with their guns drawn. The officers separated Gilliam from the children, who ranged from 6 to 17 years old, and detained them at gunpoint. Only the 6-year-old was not handcuffed.
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The officer said the police had received an alert by an ALPR notifying them that Gilliam’s car, a minivan, was stolen, prompting the felony stop. The ALPR, however, seemingly had confused Gilliam’s Colorado license plate with a motorcycle’s plate carrying an identical number from Montana.
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Ali Badr, a man from Oakland, California, was on his way to work in December 2020 when San Ramon police officers stopped his car after being tipped off by an ALPR hit. In a police video obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Badr is seen being mauled by a police dog despite no apparent provocation. Although the non-resisting Badr complied with officers’ directions, the K-9 violently bit Bahr’s arm, ripping it apart. The K-9’s handler, instead of calling the dog off, walked up to Badr and pointed his gun at Badr’s head. According to reporting on the resulting lawsuit,
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[The arresting officer] then grabbed Badr’s left arm, while the dog’s teeth were still sunken into Badr’s other arm, and threw Badr to the ground. The officer then knelt on Badr’s back, and grabbed his neck and forced him face-down on the pavement while two other officers also knelt on Badr’s back as he was handcuffed....
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The police K-9 was allowed to continue biting the Plaintiff for over 50 seconds.... During the traffic stop, all officers named as defendants pointed their guns at Badr. No officers intervened during the dog attack.
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Badr lost the use of his arm because of the mauling. In the video, Badr is heard exclaiming in pain, “What I did? What I did?”
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Badr was driving a Toyota Camry that he was renting from CarMommy, a rental service catering to delivery drivers and gig workers. Badr previously worked as an Uber and Lyft driver and started delivering food during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unbeknownst to Badr, CarMommy had reported the car stolen to the San Jose Police Department, placing the Camry’s license plate on shared databases of stolen cars, which the San Ramon Police Department’s ALPR identified.
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Badr had fallen behind on his rental car payment by a couple of days, although he had been in contact with the rental company, telling the company he would pay them soon, as he had done previously. The rental agreement’s language allowed only for the car to be reported as stolen if specific criteria were met, meaning that CarMommy’s report of the stolen vehicle may have been submitted in bad faith. The ALPR system, however, is unable to distinguish between good faith and bad faith reports.
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In 2009, a 47-year-old Black woman named Denise Green was pulled over by multiple San Francisco police cars, handcuffed at gunpoint, forced to her knees, and searched — all because her car was misidentified as stolen due to an error made by a license plate reader.
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In 2015, an 18-year-old named Connor Deleire was sitting alone in a friend’s car in Manchester, New Hampshire when police officers confronted him, bashed his head into a cop cruiser, zapped him with a stun gun, and blasted his face with pepper spray — all because the vehicle Deleire was sitting in was parked in an area determined to be the likely scene of a crime by an algorithm used by the Manchester Police Department.
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In 2019, a 26-year-old Black man named Michael Oliver was wrongfully arrested and lost his job and car while being held in a Detroit jail for three days on a felony larceny charge — all because police misidentified him using racially biased facial recognition technology.

Hey guys,
I emailed rater quality about what to rate when TS says the following:
(This is not a real task example.)
There are several lakes in Wisconsin [1] [3] [5]. Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Wisconsin [5].
Evidence:
[1] Lake Winnebago is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin.
[3] Castle Rock Lake is an artificial lake on the Wisconsin River. It is located in central Wisconsin in Adams County and Juneau County. The lake has an inflow from Petenwell Lake, Yellow River, Big Roche a Cri., and Klien Creek.
[5] Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. On its shores are the city of Lake Geneva and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake and Williams Bay.
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She said this is fully. She cited the example in the instructions with the "BlueCross seems to cover it [3,4]" and said, "According to the following example from the task instructions, it appears that Target Sentences can sometimes be formulated to add additional context that is missing in the cited Evidence. This can still be marked as “Fully” supported. In this case, the Target Sentences adds “also seems to cover it.” This would be the case ONLY for very minor changes."
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That was the extent of the explanation. Hope that helps and hope everyone gets to ride the TS train today!