"Smart Tag Data Shared With Law Enforcement" 
Richmond Times-Dispatch (06/07/03) P. A1; Bacque, Peter 

The Virginia Department of Transportation often allows police 
investigators access to information collected by the state's Smart 
Tag system without requiring subpoenas. The electronic highway-toll 
collection system is used by over 400,000 vehicles, or roughly 6 
percent of registered vehicles in Virginia, to drive through tolls 
without stopping.  

The system electronically charges a driver's account by using a 
roadside device to monitor Smart Tag-equipped vehicles passing 
through the toll. Smart Tag is used at various areas of Virginia, 
including the Downtown Expressway, the Coleman Bridge, the Pocahontas 
Parkway, and the Dulles Toll Road.  

Virginia State Police superintendent W. Gerald Massengill said police 
agencies are using the latest technologies to aid investigations, but 
noted the importance of protecting privacy rights. Smart Tag information 
includes the names, addresses, phone numbers, credit-card numbers, 
and vehicle license numbers of participants, as well as precise toll-
crossing information. www.timesdispatch.com  


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News Summary should be cited as the source of the information. 
Copyright 2003, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD.  

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Source: NLECTC - http://www.nlectc.org/justnetnews/weeklynews.html


Cheers, Steve..

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