Hawaiʻi is moving toward putting automated license plate cameras on the Big Island, which worries privacy advocates but could help police solve farm thefts.

• The state's law enforcement department wants cameras that photograph and log license plates as cars pass.
• Residents fear the main use will be tracking the movements of ordinary people who have done nothing wrong.
• Officials say the target is agricultural crime, access to the stored plates is tightly limited, and records are wiped after about 90 days.
• Police Chief Reed Mahuna says no cameras go up until the community gets a public meeting first.
• The ACLU wants privacy limits written into state law instead of left to police department policy.

Outlook: Expect community meetings before any rollout, and a push for mass surveillance legislation when lawmakers return in January.