What Boston Is Using Its License Plate Scanners For

Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach just got these scanners, and it appears that they're going to be mounted to scan cars on some major thoroughfares. 


Boston Herald:

The computerized scanners, known as Automatic License Plate Recognition devices, instantly check for police alerts, warrants, traffic violations and parking tickets, which cops say could be an invaluable tool in thwarting crime. 

There's a whole lot more in the article, but I just wanted to point out how these cameras can be pointed on everyday citizens and not the "terrorists" we were told they were intended to catch.
 

Is the same thing not possible in Wilmington?  Has there really been much public discussion about these cameras?