License Plate Reader – Efficient Law Enforcement Device

License Plate Reader – Efficient Law Enforcement Device

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Vehicle license plate readers have become a useful tool in the police arsenal.

The reader’s cameras hook to a patrol car’s light bar and trunk and can scan up to 1,500 tags in a minute to capture images of plates. In a normal 12-hour shift, the device has the potential to scan more than 1 million tags.

For deputies, who are constantly hearing tag numbers broadcast over their radios, trying to keep up and recognize them all without help can be difficult. But the reader links to state law enforcement databases, finds the tag instantly and sends out a tone to warn the deputies and tell them any offense, according to chronicle.augusta.com.

Capt. Eric Abdullah, the Sheriff of Aiken County, Georgia, USA, whose department has one tag reader said: “we’ve worked out all the kinks to it and we’re looking forward to adding it to our fleet.”

Repossession companies have used the technology for years, scanning crowded parking lots and neighborhoods looking for vehicles. The ones used by the sheriff’s office only alert police to vehicles that have been reported stolen, involved in a crime, those that might be connected to a missing person, and those that have no insurance.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office started with one device and now have four. Their devices are a little larger and more obvious to passers-by. The patrol cruiser will appear to have several black cases mounted on its truck.

Since using them, deputies with the devices have recovered considerably more stolen vehicles and are cracking down on more without insurance, Richmond County sheriff’s Lt. Michael D’Amico said.

The readers can be used in other investigations due to the stored files. For instance, police can type the tag number in and see the last location and time where the tag was recorded.

There is little recent data on the devices, but in 2007 the Rand Corporation reported that 17 percent of law enforcement agencies had adopted the technology. By 2012, it had jumped to 71 percent and is likely climbing.

The cameras are appearing in more stationary locations and can assist in processing fees on toll roads and keeping track of people in restricted areas, parking garages, and other zones.

With the benefits and the steadily developing technology, Abdullah said he can see the cameras becoming another standard piece of law enforcement equipment like the dash cam and, more recently, the body cam. For now, the cost is prohibiting. Both agencies said they anticipate adding more cameras to their fleet when and if funding becomes available.

As they continue to gain popularity, more organizations are coming out in opposition, citing privacy concerns. They criticize the readers for capturing hundreds of tags of people who have done nothing wrong and can then be tracked with the data it obtains. Different states and jurisdictions have different laws on how long the data can be kept.