Clearwater Police Adopt License Plate Screening Cameras

December 31, 2010

A Tampa Bay-area police department is the latest to buy into new technology that uses cameras to scan license plates and checks the numbers against a database of stolen cars and other vehicles used in crimes.

Clearwater police said the automatic license plate readers were in use in patrol cars after a two-week training period. Spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts said they’ve already led to the arrest of one person on grand theft charges and another charged with using stolen plates.

The cameras capture license plate numbers and runs them to help officers identify stolen vehicles and tags with registration issues. It will also identify vehicle owners with suspended licenses and arrest warrants.

The system allows officers to process as many as 1,500 license plates per minute.

Topics Law Enforcement

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Latest Comments

  • January 4, 2011 at 11:20 am
    Actuary says:
    Responsible, WTF does this have to do with next year's election? The other 3 posts were relevant to the article but you're clueless. Take your idiotic response elsewhere.
  • January 3, 2011 at 12:40 pm
    Responsible says:
    Cracking down on crimminals and deadbeats could be bad news for the democrats in 2012, unless of course they can get the courts to mandate voting booths in prisons.
  • January 3, 2011 at 9:00 am
    wudchuck says:
    first of all it's not entrapment! if you've got your vehicle on a public street, it had better be legal. it appears this is a quick way to ensure. if your in texas, they wi... read more

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