NCJ Number
226851
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2009 Pages: 48,50,54
Date Published
April 2009
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the effectiveness of the license plate reader (LPR) technology in providing law enforcement agencies across the country with the capability of capturing images of characters on license plates and identifying vehicles of interest.
Abstract
The Mobile Plate Hunter-900 developed by ELSAG is a license plate reader (LPR) that uses infrared cameras, which scan for and capture images of characters on plates. The processing unit and software reference the information collected by the camera against preloaded hot lists and sends automatic alerts when flagged plates are recognized by law enforcement. Once the LPR unit identifies a vehicle of interest, officers take the technical element out of it and implement the human element, rerunning the registration and making sure the vehicle is still of interest, such as stolen. The unit is located on the back of the police vehicle and acts as an all-seeing eye. This article discusses both the obstacles in the path of the LPR technology and the widespread successful implementation of the LPR.