A new high-tech device will give Coronado Police officers the ability to scan license plates on parked or moving vehicles and immediately be alerted if they are stolen or wanted in connection with a crime.The automated License Plate Reader already has been affixed to the roof of one of the city’s marked patrol cars, which has been on the streets of Coronado as usual. As the patrol car is driven around town, it automatically scans up to thousands of license plates an hour, and runs the information through a local, state and federal database of law enforcement agencies.
If there is a hit, a photograph of the plate and vehicle pops up on a screen in the patrol car, along with details about any suspected crimes. The device also works at night.
In addition to finding stolen vehicles, the reader can place a car at the scene of a crime. It also can be used to follow up on investigations, support homeland security issues and help alert other officers if a license plate number they have entered into the database comes up during a patrol.
Coronado Police Chief Lou Scanlon said the system was put into service last week and so far there have been “no hits” on any vehicles. If a car is identified as stolen, officers will take the necessary steps to find the driver or have it towed.
Data from the reader is shared among 85 law enforcement agencies through San Diego County’s Automated Regional Justice Information System, or ARJIS.
“We believe this system will enhance our ability to protect the public,” Scanlon said. “It has proved highly effective during Amber Alerts, in the recovery of stolen vehicles and aiding detectives in their investigations.”
Coronado paid for the License Plate Reader through a $30,000 grant from the Urban Area Security Initiative Program funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The city is investigating additional grants to pay for more of the devices.
Scanlon said the devices may be used to identify vehicles associated with criminals as well as individuals on the terrorism watch list. He said it is another tool officers will use to keep Coronado safe.
“This technology makes it more difficult for criminals to hide,” Scanlon said.
The devices are used in several cities around the county.
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CORONADO POLICE DEPARTMENT
City of Coronado, California
Louis J. Scanlon, Chief of Police
