Hawaii's state law enforcement agency is rolling out hundreds of plate-reading cameras, a win for farmers hit by theft but a worry for privacy advocates.

• The Department of Law Enforcement plans about 400 automated license plate recognition cameras across several islands, with locations still undecided.
• Director Jared Redulla says the cameras are not for tracking people or helping federal immigration enforcement, and staff who came close to that have been disciplined.
• The main target is farm crime, especially on the Big Island, where a USDA survey counted over 9,000 trespassing incidents plus thousands of thefts and hundreds of vandalism cases.
• Farm crime is hard to police because it happens at night in remote spots, so cameras can supply timestamps and evidence.
• Critics point to other police agencies that have misused the same technology.

Outlook: The department is taking public comments while it decides how many cameras to install and where.