Advanced License Plate Reader System Facilitates Arrest of Suspect
By Dolores Quintana
In the early hours of Wednesday, Culver City Police Department officers responded to a notification from an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) camera, indicating the presence of a vehicle sought in connection to multiple felony crimes at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Lucerne Avenue.
Officers located the vehicle and apprehended the driver, who was wanted in connection to several armed robberies in a neighboring city.
Culver City’s website explains its ALPR program in detail. It states that ALPR technology has emerged as a vital tool in law enforcement, aiding in the detection, resolution, prevention, and deterrence of crimes in a fair and unbiased manner. Over 70 percent of crimes are believed to involve the use of vehicles, making ALPRs an industry-standard embraced by numerous law enforcement agencies nationwide.
It goes on to say that ALPR systems autonomously capture images of a vehicle’s license plate, cross-referencing the acquired license plate number with databases of vehicles of interest to law enforcement. These databases include the Stolen Vehicle System (SVS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Wanted Persons System (WPS), Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (MUPS), and vehicles linked to Amber and Silver Alerts.
Upon identifying a vehicle of interest, an alert is immediately transmitted to patrol officers, complete with a vehicle image, the nature of the vehicle’s involvement, and its last known location and direction of travel.
The City’s website tells of the possible benefits of using ALPRs, which seems to have worked in this case.
Community Benefits of ALPRs
- Recovery of stolen vehicles entering the city
- Identification of vehicles connected to felony crimes entering the city
- Provision of investigative leads for the Culver City Police Department in local criminal cases
- Detection of vehicles associated with missing or at-risk individuals (Amber/Silver alerts)
- Swift Identification and Location of Suspects
Furthermore, the City’s website goes on to list residents’ privacy rights according to the ALPR policy.
CCPD ALPR Policy and Privacy Rights
- ALPR cameras are exclusively placed on public roadways and are never deployed on private property.
- There is no live video streaming, and the cameras are not utilized for surveillance purposes.
- ALPR cameras exclusively capture vehicle images and do not capture individuals.
- Facial recognition technology is not employed on ALPR cameras, and personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, and dates of birth are neither recorded, retained, nor shared by CCPD.
