New police device scans license plates, runs info on the go

[Swede]

ELSAG, which is based in Brewster, N.Y., and has a manufacturing facility in Greensboro, N.C., says the recognition software can capture 3,600 reads per minute on a high-speed road.

Officer Ritchie said Somerville's department was one of the first in the state to use the program, and soon after it helped the urban community find about five stolen vehicles a day.

Officer Ritchie said he usually kept an eye out for hanging license plates, or became suspicious if the car was dirty and the plate was clean, or vice versa.

An advantage to the program is it takes out profiling, Mr. Maroney said.

“It's just looking at the license plate, reading it and reporting back,” he said. “So everyone is treated fairly.”

The technology's origins were for mail sorting.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101121/NEWS/11210466/1101/newsrewind

[Hawkowl]

1. Now if we all had chips in our heads...

Then we could all be scanned without being profiled or groped. Just sayin...

[Joanne98]

2. They never stop!