|
10-01-2009 Military/Law Enforcement Newsletter |
Untitled Document
 |
 |
Military / Law Enforcement Newsletter - October '09
Identifying stolen vehicles by checking their license plates can be a time consuming process for law enforcement officers, but LPR technology can accelerate the process and allow the officers to spend their time looking out for suspicious behavior.
The LPR device, consisting of movable cameras on the outside of the vehicle and other equipment configured inside the squad car, reads the license plates of all nearby vehicles and runs them against a database, checking their validity and the status of the vehicles.
The LPR cameras can be arranged in specific positions to suit certain situations. They can be mounted at different angles to get a greater range of coverage, or mounted in inconspicuous positions on the vehicle. When parked on the side of the road they can be configured to read the plates of all incoming traffic. When driving down a row of parked cars, the cameras can be pointed to either side to read plates of cars both on the left and on the right. When pulled over on the right side of the road, they can be pointed left to read the plates of vehicles while the driver is outside of the vehicle.
When it runs into a license plate of a stolen vehicle, it makes a beeping sound to alert the officer. From here, the officer can look at the screen and determine what the situation might be and report back to an auto theft task force supervisor if necessary to get additional details and proceed from there, pursuing or making an arrest if need be.
LPR technology is still very expensive, but it has proven extremely useful for locating and recovering stolen vehicles. Perhaps in the future, the price will come down and allow more officers access to this remarkable equipment. |
|
|
 |
|
|
