Local Police Have Extra Set of Eyes on the Road

The black and white patrol car that Falls Township police officer Brian Fisher uses is a bit different than other cars in the community’s fleet. I carries two small, state-of-the-art cameras that are attached to the trunk.

Fisher and about three other officers use the car, which contains the Mobile Plate Hunter 900, also referred to as an automatic license plate reader (ALPR).

The nearly $20,000 system captures an image of almost every license plate – from all 50 states – using the two forward-facing cameras to snap a photos of passing vehicles. The images are run against databases downloaded twice daily to an onboard computer system. The database contains information on stolen vehicles, expired tags, national watch lists among other things, Sgt. Sven Beauchmin, who heads the Falls ALPR program, said.

“The technology just keeps getting better,” Beauchmin said. “[The ALPR] is just another tool in our arsenal.”

The two cameras, which can be expanded to three for several thousand extra dollars, takes photos of plates in all types of weather, daytime, nighttime and at speeds up to 160 MPH, according to data provided by the manufactured by ESlag.

When police do get a “hit” on a vehicle, the ALPR program overtakes the in-car computer monitor and a klaxon-type alarm sounds. The officer then radio’s the plate number to a county dispatcher who confirms the ALPR’s alert

Despite some initial bugs with the system, Falls police have used the ALPR to catch dozens upon dozens of car with PennDOT violations since it’s been in service the past month or two, officials said.

“My goal isn’t to hammer people for minor traffic violations,” Fisher said. He explained that he uses the ALPR to stop drivers who pose a threat to others or have a history of traffic violations.

“This is a tool for me to see a car and look for more problems,” he said.

Lower Makefield police Captain Tom Roche said the system has been successful in recovering at least three stolen cars and three stolen tags in his township. Beauchmin said Falls hasn’t found any stolen cars, yet, but the system was helpful in the investigation of a bank robbery in April and an earlier burglary.

Beauchmin noted that during investigations police are able to use the ALPR to pull up specific plate numbers and figure out where a vehicle was and when.

“If we’re looking for a particular plate number, we can geo-tag where that car was, if we captured it,” the sergeant said. “It’s great for finding patterns to see where a car has been spotted.”

In 2011, police in Upper Moreland used photos taken by their ALPR to identify a damaged front bumper of a green Jeep Wrangler. The images helped catch a man who stole a $5,500 diamond ring from a jewelry store. The story is not unheard of in the new age of policing.

“The possibilities with ALPR are endless,” Beauchmin said. He added that the system may be added to additional patrol vehicles in the future and noted some states attach them to fixed objects.

Roche said several Bucks County departments received the ALPR system as part of a Department of Homeland Security grant. In Lower Bucks, Bristol Township, Morrisville, Middletown, Lower Southampton and state police use the new system.

Fisher said the system has been successful and gives him a new tool to keep the community safe.

“It’s an extra set of eyes on the road.”

Editor’s Note: At the request of police, license plate numbers displayed in the above photographs have been obscured.