(The Center Square) – A database of automated license plate reader abuses shows 57 out of 170 incidents happened in Georgia. 

The Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm, is regularly updating incidents that range from the arrest of law enforcement officers who have used the technology in some cases to stalk romantic partners to innocent people being held at gunpoint by police because the camera misread a license plate. 

In middle Georgia's Bibb County, three sheriff's deputies were arrested for stalking people they were in a relationship with, according to reports and the database. Three Fayetteville police officers were arrested for using the technology to search for information on themselves, family members and friends. 

Georgia has the highest number of abuses because its law enforcement agencies were among the first to use the technology. Flock Safety, the manufacturer of many of the cameras in question, is headquartered in Atlanta. 

"Flock recently has rolled out some new guidelines and tools, particularly an auditing tool to try to find this misuse as it's happening," said Christopher Ingraham, an investigative reporter for the Institute for Justice, in an interview with The Center Square. "And I believe, just looking at the data, it was rolled out first to Georgia, which is why we see so many police departments, you see these headlines, eight officers, six officers, many officers at a time being fired or arrested for misuse of these systems."

Law enforcement agencies defend the use of the cameras, saying they are a tool for capturing criminals. 

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said use of automated license plate reader technology from Georgia helped the agency find a 1-year-old child taken from Tennessee. 

"ALPR information has helped the bureau and its partner agencies locate missing and endangered children and vulnerable adults, identify vehicles associated with wanted fugitives, and develop leads in investigations involving violent crime, drug trafficking, and organized criminal activity," the agency said in a statement.

Ingraham said the fundamental question is whether the crimes would have been solved if the cameras weren't there. 

"We don't know," Ingraham said. "The thing that I get concerned about is our law enforcement agencies crediting a camera with the entire case when it's really just a small piece of a case."

The cameras also raise privacy concerns. The new technology is different from speed cameras or red light cameras, Ingraham said. 

"They are on all the time. They are not just capturing violators," Ingraham said. "They are capturing the information of every single person who drives past them."

Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee, said while the arrest of law enforcement officers warrants "serious attention," law enforcement is addressing the issue.

"We must preserve the legitimate investigative value of these systems while preventing abuse," Albers said in an editorial provided to The Center Square on Monday. "Public safety and privacy are complementary responsibilities of good government, and responsible oversight of these cameras ensures we do not have to sacrifice one to achieve the other."