The purpose of this webinar is to provide law enforcement officials with an overview of the value of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), including how to establish a program, the development of policies for ALPR use, ALPR successes, and the development of implementation plans.
The speakers for this webinar are:
- Director Mike Sena, Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC)/Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
- Ms. Pam Scanlon, Executive Director, Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS)
- Ms. Heather Whitton, License Plate Recognition Program Manager, Cincinnati Police Department
Background: The recognition software behind ALPR technology was first developed in the United Kingdom in 1976. This technology has evolved into a powerful and impactful tool for law enforcement. Through utilization of ALPRs, license plates are checked through an automated process and compared against databases such as the National Crime Information Center, local warrants, AMBER Alerts, and more—leading to expedited data collection for investigative use and analysis. In fact, according to the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in six local police departments in the United States uses ALPR. While many agencies’ primary purpose for implementing the use of ALPR technology is to assist with auto theft investigations, the use of this technology has spread to other areas, including general investigations, vehicle and traffic enforcement, crime analysis, and narcotics investigations. Most important, ALPRs are used across the country to increase overall public safety for local communities.