Automatic License Plate Reader

PittSpeed Automotive PittSpeed Off Topic
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http://www.psp.state.pa.us/psp/cwp/view.asp?a=11&q=173708

The Pennsylvania State Police was selected from among law-enforcement agencies across the nation to test the new Motorola Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) system. PSP is the only agency in the country testing the system at this time.
ALPR works this way: A camera that emits an infrared beam to read license plates is mounted on a PSP cruiser. It uses character-imaging technology to compare the license plate sequence against a database of stolen/wanted license plates. This database has no ownership or privacy information; it merely is a list of stolen/wanted license plate numbers.
If the plate read by the camera matches one in the database, the system generates a photo of the plate and vehicle on the trooper’s Mobile Office computer screen. The trooper then can make a check via the State Police CLEAN system to confirm that the vehicle is in fact wanted.

ALPR offers a distinct tactical advantage to the trooper by letting him or her know immediately to check for additional information and, if necessary, to request back-up assistance.

On Oct. 3, 2005, at 1:36 p.m., a trooper was running radar at on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County when a vehicle passed by at 91 mph.

The trooper activated his lights and siren and stopped the vehicle. The registration plate of the vehicle was captured by the ALPR system and registered a “hit” with the database. The trooper verified the “hit” and obtained backup to conduct a felony vehicle stop. The vehicle’s occupants were taken into custody and a search warrant was obtained.

A gun was found in the vehicle. Through further investigation, it was determined that the suspects under arrest allegedly had been involved in an attempted homicide murder, kidnapping, and a bank robbery.

In addition to excellent use of police tactics and procedure to apprehend these criminals, the ALPR and Mobile Office provided the Trooper with the information tools to enhance his own security and operational effectiveness.

this is actually rather interesting, i wonder if they use it only when pulling over or if they run it while in driving in traffic passing cars up?

anyone hear much about these yet?

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i think that is very useful. its not like im going to be cruisin around with a stolen car. so it wont bother me. saves more police officers. and maybe they wont be such dicks (south park cough cough)

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Well, once the word is out that state police are using these, most criminals won’t go near state troopers with a bad plate. And then again, criminals are dumb. They can’t bring up your personal information because that would be a violation of your rights. Just for some info: a police officer has to have probable cause (PC) to run your plate. It is illegal to run it for personal reasons. But we always used the PC “the vehicle looked suspicious”, then again I worked a high drug/violence area, not a highway. Fucking deisel huffers(state police).

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i dont think its probably cause any more i think they made it more flexible and call it “reasonable suspicion”

damn. i just said suspicion to many times… is it a real word? suspicion…suspicion… thats a bad one. it doesnt look or sound like a word any more.

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oops. hope this thread wasnt about to die. sorry, didnt realize it was over 24 hrs.

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probable cause is needed for some things in law enforcement, reasonable suspision is needed for others. Searching someone you need PC, doing a quick frisk for weapons you only need RS.

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Wow that’s pretty neat really.

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They won’t pull over Cutty anymore for driving his G-body…

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since I work for a Motorola service/installer center, they should be on the next PSP project-G4 (about 2 years) we just installed scanners on the new computer package -G3 that can read the bar strip off your licence…