Tech & Biz

Big Bro cruises while scanning 1000s of plates

by Actual News Geezer | January 17, 2007 at 07:25 am

1422 views | 11 Recommendations | 4 comments

This one blows my mind. Someone has posted it to YouTube. A surveillance device that can scan and capture thousands of car licence plates from a moving police car.

The featured police officer mentions Vancouver, and that probably means Vancouver, BC.

It's a mobile surveillance device that can scan 3000 license plates an hour and it's mounted in a car bristling with cameras and computers. It's called Automatic Licence Plate Recognition - and it features a Sgt. Rick Stewart of IMPACT. Here is the comment by the person who posted the video to YouTube. Below that, the video, and more information.

Once again a predatory police state society is being created. Police policing everyone now? Searching Everyone will be the norm. What's the purpose for this? Mega income generation from catching everyone who has expired tags and or plates?

This is from the website of the apparent manufacturer:

Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) is a proven mechanism that automatically reads license plate numbers on stationary or moving vehicles. Using advanced camera, recognition, and database technology ALPR systems automatically capture images of vehicle license plate numbers and instantly check those numbers against a variety of vehicle “hot lists” held in target vehicle databases. Alarms can be triggered when a “hit” (match) is detected on any given database giving the ALPR operator the opportunity to take immediate action. Live checks can be performed from the vehicle via secure “wireless” connections.

And indeed it is being used in Vancouver, Canada:

VICTORIA – British Columbia is the first province in Canada to use a new crime-fighting technology, Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR), to target both traffic violators and stolen vehicles, Solicitor General John Les announced today.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Actual News Geezer

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 07:38 on January 17th, 2007

Any NP members who have a handle on this technology are encouraged to post it as comments or new items.

DIG THE HEAVY

at 15:41 on January 17th, 2007

So the cop no longer needs probable cause to investigate you. The computer checks our "papers" on a mass scale, without a conscience, leaving nowhere to run or hide. So who really gained from 9/11? They know we know they are lying to us on a daily basis, hence the reason they must tighten the vice which is a police state. Just an opinion and not intended to shed any light on the technology.

pipstech

at 04:59 on January 24th, 2007

Think about it...officers already can look at a license plate and call it in for a check. ALPR (this technology) does nothing more than make this process easier, more efficient, and safer (since the officer is not distracted looking at your plate and fumbling with his radio). These systems are in much more widespread use here in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />US than you would think...and have been credited with capturing rape, robbery, identity theft rings, and drug runners. They also recover (literally) tens of thousands of stolen cars...which means that the insurance co's do not have to raise our insurance premiums to pay for those cars.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Use of ALPR is quickly growing here in the US…check out www.pipstechnology.com …they are the worldwide leaders and have some cool stuff, including additional videos, on their website.