Automatic license plate readers

[roadrunner5877]

Hi All.
I have read in our local community news paper that our police department have been using a device that can read license plates at any speed day or night and any weather even park cars driving by them. the LEO can set them to alert them for what ever they want like stolen, expired tabs, arrest warents for the owner. I think this is very cool if its true to what I read. is this common now days with most police departments

[Citicop]

Not "common" certainly, because the units are in the area of $10,000 a piece, but getting less rare all the time...

[Switchback]

Too bad our resident liberal can't respond... as this is a HUGE Constitutional violation and is just another example of the government treading on the people's rights.

In all seriousness, these things are great. I can only hope that when the economy improves, the fed will throw some grant money out there to get more of them.

Along those same lines, the facial recognition software out there is another crazy advancement in technology! Great stuff is on the horizon!

[BJJVad]

I have to disagree and agree with Switch..

Love the cars.. Absolutely hate the full body scanners..

Big difference in expectation of privacy.. I will be flying private airlines away from full body scanners.. Don't get me wrong, not because I don't want anyone seeing my junk (I could care less if they see my junk) just feel it is a product being forced onto companies. There are far too many other ways to successfully bring down a plane that are not being enforced. I would like to see those loop holes covered before they raise my plane tickets for these scanners..

See a true Republican worried about how much money I am spending.. My airline tickets are high enough and it's just as cheap to find a private jumper to take you places.. Just not as convenient...

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As far as the cars.. The vehicle is already in a public place where there is not an expectation of privacy.. Great little tool to get quick PC on a car..

[Switchback]

Uh, Brad... reread it. I was talking about facial recognition software.

Now, just don't go flying if you are worried about the body scanners. FYI already have another thread for the body scanner, where your opinion is being defended by someone about as engaging as a brick wall. I will say that airports are no less of public places than a street.

[BJJVad]

Uh, Brad... reread it. I was talking about facial recognition software.

Now, just don't go flying if you are worried about the body scanners. FYI already have another thread for the body scanner, where your opinion is being defended by someone about as engaging as a brick wall. I will say that airports are no less of public places than a street.

I totally agree with you. However, I still don't have a handheld body scanner for my patrol vehicle yet, because you know how that will turn out.

Don't get me wrong.. I totally understand the greatness in the tool and security behind it. But there are so many other holes leaking water in the bottom of the cup. Throwing dollars at this 1 hole is just not worth it for me when there are 50 other holes leaking twice as much water.

I am all on board with facial recognition software and Automated plate scanners.. Amazing tools.. Just not ready to throw money at this new one yet for many different reasons.. As a few have been addressed.

[BJJVad]

Along with the Auto plate scanners, we also have on the spot fingerprint identification devices. How awesome is that when some gangster gives you his brothers name and info that he has memorized. Now you have an add charge waiting for him on top of whatever it is you stopped him for..

Although I know Samuel will disagree with this, for a completely different reason.. LOL Damn curses!

[greg72982]

if you looked at me in a naked body scanner you would quickly see that I'm unarmed in the waist/crtoch area.

As for the plate readers, they seem great but you better have a big budget if you want to get them...

[retdetsgt]

I suspect the price will become more affordable with time. A hand held calculator that used to cost 50 bucks when they first came out are about 3 or 4 dollars now. Look at the price of home computers compared to what you can get today for $300 as opposed to what you could buy for $500 5 years ago figuring in inflation.

I think they would be the best thing since sliced bread. Not just for stolen cars, but identifying and catching bad guys. No rights are violated because driving isn't a right.

[Legoate]

My department has several of the plate readers. Parking enforcement actually uses them much more but with a different software focus- it keeps track of car locations and how long they have been parked there making it easier to cite time violations.

For some reason our local mall security also uses them- they routinely find stolen cars at the mall and then call for us to recover them (gee thanks guys).

For some reason the technology and databasing (is that a word) of the plate scanners combined with GPS gives me the heebie jeebies. I'm not going to get into how they can be used on a public forums, but when I've seen how much data they can gather it bothered even me.

[scott715us]

We are supposed to get an ALR pretty soon, which came from the UASI grant.

As an airport LEO, I don't have a huge issue with the body scanners. We just received them in our airport last month. It's just one attempt to keep up with the technology. I'm not sure if there can ever be equipment that can detect everything that can bring harm to an aircraft without somewhat trampling on civil liberties. Keep in mind that walk-thru metal detectors are 30+ year old technology. There are policies set in place for the scanners that (a) same sex viewing the monitors and (b) the TSA person viewing said monitor cannot see the person standing in the scanner and is not allowed to come out of the room once the image has been seen. The scanners are also voluntary. Flying has always been a privilege andmore people than ever are taking to the skies due to the low-cost air carriers like Southwest. I'm sure you guys remember the days when only those with fat pockets could even consider taking a commercial flight. I'm open for suggestions in improving airport security just as anyone else in the business is. I don't agree with quite a few policies TSA has been implementing, but I do agree with the idea of improving the screening technology. Is the body scanner the best idea? I don't know, I'm not an expert in the field, but it doesn't seem like a bad invention to me personally.

[roadrunner5877]

I would think that it will make it more safe then you can keep both hands on wheel also there is no way you could read hunderds of plates in your shift

[BJJVad]

I would think that it will make it more safe then you can keep both hands on wheel also there is no way you could read hundreds of plates in your shift

There are some upsides and some downsides to it that's for sure.

As far as safe to drive? It may be minimal at best. Usually the APR is incorporated with your Mobile Terminal anyways where you still have to take your eyes and hand away from the wheel.

Plus there are some of us that are flat out allergic to the car for some unknown mystical reason.

[Legoate]

I would think that it will make it more safe then you can keep both hands on wheel also there is no way you could read hunderds of plates in your shift

It's not the plate reading a have a problem with. It's the database combined with gps location combined with the color photography and the amount of time that data is stored for that sets off my big brother ringer.

Let's just say I've seen some very interesting uses for the LPR vehicle database information.

[Samuel]

Plus there are some of us that are flat out allergic to the car for some unknown mystical reason.

Are you talking smack? Are YOU talking SMACK?! I got some special circuits set up for you!

If the MDC hasn't crashed on you while you're enroute to a priority/emergent call, just wait, it will...