Councilmembers Lisa Anderl and Salim Nice Have cosponsored an agenda item to equip three MIPD patrol cars with the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology. ALPR Allows a series of sensors to read license plates in real time as patrol vehicles are driving. ALP are only flag vehicles when certain parameters are met. Using a database, ALPR will alert for a stolen vehicle, a missing person or a warrant for the registered owner’s arrest.
Besides making our patrol officers more efficient, equally important is that it provides a higher level of protection for them before they make contact with a vehicle. Importantly, ALPR provides the prompt to request additional back up. The advantage of AL PR technology is that it makes our patrol officers more efficient, and importantly it provides a higher level of protection for them in real time when they need it most.
ALPR technology supports our officers‘ ability to focus on crime fighting. It provides an important tool that helps patrol officers identify and apprehend dangerous criminals in a safer way; they will not be approaching vehicles blindly.
ALPR can also provide efficiencies for our city with parking enforcement. Parking in our town center can be challenging, in part due to people from the region parking here to catch transportation into Seattle. This will only continue to get worse. ALPR technology replaces tire marking as a useful tool to enforce 2–4 hour parking limits. (A recent ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled tire marking unconstitutional for tracking parked cars.)
Councilmember Nice posted on Nextdoor that, “Councilmember Anderl and I have both spoken to our Chief of Police, Ed Holmes, and he supports this limited pilot project. Chief Holmes, based on feedback from the full Council at the 2020 Council Planning Session, has already identified the most cost-effective vendor to provide and install the equipment in the patrol vehicles. Chief Holmes also expressed willingness to report back on the results of the pilot and make recommendations as to the continuation of the program beyond the remaining life of the patrol fleet, currently estimated at two more years.”
Purchasing three ALPR units is now before the city Council.
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