We may not have “Smart Cities” yet, but they are certainly getting more intelligent thanks to new technology. For example, automated license plate readers (ALPRs), which capture computer-readable images of license plates using 5G broadband and cloud technologies, are spreading throughout the nation, helping law enforcement find stolen cars or cars driven by people suspected of being involved in criminal or perhaps terrorist activities.
Today, ALPR deployments use artificial intelligence, machine learning, edge computing and advanced analytics to recognize more license plates faster, generating alert notifications, including video clips, for additional decision support. The technologies also enable the system to recognize vehicles, including make, model type color and direction of travel.
“A well thought out ALPR program brings added layers of safety to the community, not only by alerting law enforcement of wanted vehicles, but also by providing video footage that may be needed for investigations, and the cost of the program may be offset by the fines paid by road safety violations,” said Ron Gibson, product manager here at Verra Mobility Government Solutions, which markets AI-driven vehicle recognition technology.
An ALPR system from Flock Safety, a company based in Atlanta, GA, has made its way into two communities in Summit County, OH, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. In Barling, AR, the police department has reported success using the Flock Safety cameras to help solve crime. “We had this vehicle entered in the Flock System; it went by one of our cameras,” Capt. Randy White told Nexstar Media. “One of our officers was able to get over to the vehicle, get them stopped, effect an arrest and through that arrest, it led to other drug arrests.”
In Plainfield, IN, police are in the process of installing cameras for a 60-day trial. In total, 14 cameras will be installed in certain strategic locations around the city, according to WXIN-TV. “These cameras are not meant for traffic violations of any sort,” Plainfield Police Department Deputy Chief Joe Aldridge told the TV station. “This really would help us with our solvability rating in solving crime and keeping Plainfield safe.”
Not everyone is convinced that ALPR cameras are a good idea. In Grass Valley, CA, even though the city council unanimously approved a one-year contract to deploy 18 ALPR cameras, one council member voiced concerns about the possible erosion of civil liberties that could occur with the surveillance cameras, the Union reported. In Cranston, RI, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has written a letter urging the cities of Cranston, Pawtucket and Woonsocket to stop using ALPR technology, WPRI-TV reported.
“The inevitability of the expansion of these camera programs into more extensive and intrusive types of surveillance only compounds the seriousness of a lack of statutory safeguards surrounding their usage,” the ACLU wrote. “In the short period of time that the Cranston surveillance cameras have been operational, there have been almost 1,100 ‘hits,’ and police have conducted almost 2,000 searches of the system.”
Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist assured the public that the cameras only record license plates and that it is no different from an officer “sitting on a corner with a notepad and pen” recording vehicles that pass by.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
Reader Interactions