Four Reasons to Purchase an Automatic License Plate Reader Besides Traffic Control

For decades, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) have helped law enforcement maintain safe communities, particularly in the forms of traffic control and surveillance. Until recent years, law enforcement and government organizations were the only parties to use automatic license plate readers. However, civilians and business leaders alike have started incorporating automatic license plate reader technology into their various security operations. With an increasingly diverse range of applications, automatic license plate readers have become extremely common in a variety of everyday settings. The following information provides an in-depth look at automatic license plate readers and their increasingly versatile use in today’s society.

What Are Automatic License Plate Readers?

Originally developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, automatic license plate readers have long been a staple in law enforcement’s collection of surveillance tools. Today, an ALPR can capture around 2,000 license plates of vehicles going up to 120 miles per hour in just one minute. Technology is constantly evolving to gather and analyze these inputs quickly and efficiently. Law enforcement teams can cross-reference captured license plate information against criminal records and relevant reports. In this way, ALPRs cast a wide net of surveillance that officials can use to secure communities, states and larger regions. Law enforcement officers use ALPRs in public spaces and can capture up to tens of thousands of license plates in a shift. Some of the most common locations for ALPRs are the tops of squad cars, streetlights, highway overpasses and street poles.

ALPRs Facilitate These Four Recent Applications

While ALPRs are most commonly associated with law enforcement, the reality is that only around half of today’s ALPRs are used by law enforcement. Civilians and businesses account for roughly half of the ALPRs in use in the United States. More and more private citizens are choosing to take surveillance and security into their own hands, whether in their home or professional environment. It’s important to note that while a more diversified group of people are using ALPRs today, their primary use continues to be security and surveillance. Here are four scenarios in which ALPRs would be useful for a private citizen or business owner.

First, schools are starting to utilize ALPRs to tighten campus security and to control who enters and exits the premises at any given time. Next, businesses have adopted the use of ALPRs, not only because of security, but also for their ability to pinpoint customer trends and behavior. For example, if a business implements a new promotional campaign, they can track the amount of customers who enter their parking lot. These types of trends can be highly useful for businesses to analyze consumer trends and ideal business practices. Yet another recent application for ALPRs is casino surveillance, given their ability to connect to law enforcement databases. When a banned visitor or reportedly problematic gambler enters the premises, casino leadership can take note and get in touch with local authorities. Last but not least, hospitals have started to implement ALPRs into their surveillance and security strategies in order to keep track of visitors, staff members and patients. These examples provide a brief overview of ALPRs’ increasingly common presence in businesses and public organizations today. Currently, civilians using ALPRs do not have to adhere to state rules and regulations concerning their use.

LaTech Security + Surveillance Provides Outstanding Tools for Businesses and Law Enforcement

With twenty years of valuable experience serving the Baton Rouge community and beyond, LaTech Security + Surveillance is leading the way in exceptional surveillance and security solutions. LaTech is proud to offer a broad range of efficient security tools like automatic license plate readers, access control, CCTV technology and much more. LaTech Security + Surveillance provides these tools to law enforcement, government agencies and businesses in the private sector. When you need surveillance and security Baton Rouge natives trust, simply contact LaTech’s experts at 225-214-3038 or fill out this quick contact form today.