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Automatic License Plate Recognition Systems

NCJ Number
216832
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 54 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 72-77
Author(s)
Thomas Manson
Date Published
December 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) systems and their technological ability to revolutionize law enforcement.
Abstract
The automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) systems offer law enforcement undeniable gains in the area of officer productivity through their ability to provide officers with instant information about their contacts via the automobile license plate. ALPR products vary by manufacturer but the general process and equipment are similar. The ALPR process is totally automated, requiring no officer intervention and taking less than a second to perform. An officer driving an ALPR-equipped patrol vehicle can process several hundred or even several thousand plates in the course of a shift. The cameras on ALPR systems come in two varieties: infrared and color. The current standard deployment is one or two cameras mounted on the light bar facing forward. Several ALPR companies indicate accuracy rates of 95 percent. The most noted use for ALPR systems is to locate stolen license plates and vehicles. ALPR can also act as a surveillance device. The biggest obstacle hindering the pace of ALPR system deployment is its hefty price tag, between $20,000 and $25,000 per patrol vehicle. For agencies with grant-writing personnel, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is the largest potential funding source. ALPR systems are currently deployed in less than 1 percent of law enforcement patrol vehicles in the United States. The future of ALPR systems is seen as a change in the way law enforcement will conduct business.