An automatic license plate recognition system is a big investment for sure, but the technology essentially pays for itself when you consider its efficacy in recovering stolen cars. That's what Detective Sal Aprile of Lehigh County in Pennsylvania said in a quick one-on-one conversation with us about his agency's own use of LPRs, which they acquired in 2006-2007. Take a look.

The Alert

An ALPR system's high speed cameras can do a lot of things very quickly. They can read hundreds of license plates per minute, capture contextual photos of vehicles, translate the image of a plate into alphanumeric characters, and ultimately aid in solving crimes and locating missing persons. Most systems can read plates day or night, in all types of weather conditions, and many manufacturers advertise they read plates from all 50 states in the U.S. and most foreign countries. 

As much as the team behind Leonardo’s ELSAG ALPR systems could tell you about the proven benefits of automatic license plate recognition, nothing compares to hearing from those who utilize the technology day in and day out.

So we recently checked in on the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office in Auburn, NY. Motivated by cost and time savings, as well as efficiency, the office acquired their first affixed ALPR systems in 2014 through grant funds.

Below are the collective responses of the office’s members who have vehicles equipped with an ALPR system. Take a look at their thoughts on the technology, how they’ve put it to work, and what they think is the nicest feature.

From our extremely knowledgeable sales team to our 24/7 technology support team, we’re always on call and happy to talk you through any questions or comments you might have as you research automatic license plate recognition systems. That said, we completely understand that sometimes you’re short on time, and all you might want are answers to some very specific questions.

There’s a reason local news stories these days often cover the acquisition of license plate recognition cameras—like this one out of Manatee County, Florida or this one in Laurie, Missouri—and that’s because this specific purchase is an absolute game-changer for anyone living and working in that area.

Ask any agency how they were able to afford their ALPR technology, and chances are they'll say through grant funds. So every so often here on the blog, we’ll bring you the latest list of available grants by state and their upcoming deadlines. Click through for details—and if you ever have any questions for our team at Leonardo on affordability or our ELSAG ALPR systems, never hesitate to reach out.

There’s no question that investing in an Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system is one of the smartest moves you can make to transform the daily operations of your law enforcement agency. Between helping your team recover stolen vehicles and license plates, securing large public venues, making school zones safer, and more efficiently tracking down criminals, the virtually limitless benefits completely outweigh the cost. But like with any major purchase, you no doubt want to review your options—and here at Leonardo, we understand our ELSAG ALPR system isn't the only one in the business.

You have no doubt heard a lot about data in the news recently. Between massive data breaches, corporate accounts being hacked and cyber attacks, it is easy to see why people are concerned about just how their data is stored and who has access to it. 

At Leonardo, we value our customer's trust and are committed to protecting their interests. Our license plate recognition cameras and solutions collect data that enable you to reduce crime in your communities, provide evidence in investigations, alert you to speed violators and assist in locating missing persons and stolen property.

So, with all of that data being collected, how do you know it is safe?

Here are three things you should know if you currently use license plate readers or are thinking about using them in the future:

By Kay Dimanche, KOAT7 ABC