For the past seven months Lincoln Police used automated license plate readers as part of a pilot program. Police Chief Michon Morrow says 20 cruisers were equipped with the technology ,which helped them find a homicide suspect and recover 30 stolen vehicles.
The value of the recovered property totaled nearly $180,000. Morrow says they will now be expanding the program and every cruiser will be equipped with the front facing cameras in the next few years.
The cameras automatically scan license plates an officer drives past and alerts them if any plates are flagged. “While that alert is an immediate attention grabber to our officers, we do still require additional verification before they would make a traffic stop or complete an investigation.”
LPD utilizes Axon ALPRs, which are cruiser mounted cameras that capture license plate data and compare it with local, state, and federal databases.
Morrow says right now the readers are only alerting officers when for homicide suspects and stolen vehicles. “But additionally, it can be used to located missing persons, responding to Amber Alerts.”
She says the data is only being retained for lawful purposes and kept no longer than 180 days. The cost of the readers is $208 per cruiser, per month. Click here for more information about the plate readers.
(Photo: Lincoln Police Department)