Police Department to install new, more effective license plate readers
The Fairfax County Police Department is upgrading its technology for reading license plates, which it says will be helpful in catching criminals and stolen vehicles.
The FCPD began using license plate readers in 2008. It’s now replacing its antiquated equipment with the Flock Safety license plate reader (LPR) system, which has been successful during a pilot test.
The Flock LPR is a stationary, solar-powered, pole-mounted reader that interacts with patrol officers and detectives, the FCPD states. Alerts can be sent in real-time to officers working the area if a stolen car passes by the camera.
The Flock system provides clearer and more precise information to officers than older LPRs. The system also can be used in cases where someone attempts to hide or remove a license plate by identifying vehicle characteristics such as make, body type, and color.
The FCPD will have 25 Flock Safety LPRs installed over the next few weeks and is currently training officers in the proper use of the system, a police department spokesperson told Annandale Today.
“The camera placement is based on data showing where most stolen vehicles are recovered and where most crime occurs that we believe these cameras could assist us in solving,” the spokesperson said. “Locations can be changed based on crime trends and input from the community.”
During an eight-week test period, Flock Safety cameras at two locations helped the FCPD recover six cars valued at over $250,000, as well as dangerous drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamines.
Flock Safety LPRs can also send an alert to officers in real-time when a person who is reported missing drives by. During the trial period, officers quickly located two missing persons after alerts were sent.
The system does not send alerts for infractions regarding vehicle registration, driver’s license violations or suspensions, or unpaid parking tickets. The cameras do not capture personal or driver information.
The FCPD has chosen not to get alerts for violations regarding immigration status and does not share information with federal authorities regarding immigration enforcement.
The pictures collected by the cameras are stored on a cloud server for 30 days before they are permanently deleted. the police department states. While in the cloud, the images cannot be sold, monetized, or shared outside of law enforcement.
Big Brother is watching you!
I don’t trust for a second that the restrictions listed in this article will remain. “15 minute city” restrictions are coming our way in the next few years.
Reminds me of the Patriot Act. Say you’re helping the public, the public okays the idea and gets used to it. Then it never goes away, and eventually ends up being used against us.
Good, we need to penalize bad drivers and get rid of criminals on our roads and communities. It’s about time FCPD stepped it up.
Can we get some “plate scanners” on Americana drive and try to catch the illegal dumpers – Maybe get that 9tons of dumped trash down to 2 tons or less? Seems like we don’t want to crack down on dumping but prefer to harass everyday drivers.
Plate scanners are racist because they target blacks at a disproportionate rate.