What are license plate readers used for?

Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) capture computer-readable images of license plates. These high-tech devices allow law enforcement agencies to compare plate numbers against those of stolen cars or cars driven by people suspected of being involved in criminal or terrorist activities.

What is a license plate recognition camera?

License plate cameras (or LPR cameras) are cameras which can extract numbers and letters from a license plate using infrared illuminators or ambient lighting. Most cameras are able to catch license plates during the day.

Can security cameras read plates?

Security cameras can read license plate cameras at night, however most of the cameras on the market will not give you a good reading. You will need a specialty camera to really ensure in detail that you will get a good read on the license plate.

Are police checking number plates?

ANPR applies optical character recognition to read vehicle registration plates from closed-circuit television, speed enforcement cameras, or cameras specifically designed for the task. It is normally used by police to check if a vehicle is registered or licensed.

Should I blur my license plate?

No, there’s really no need to hide your license plate number in pictures of your vehicle. A law called the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, or DPPA, prohibits disclosure of any personal information gathered by motor vehicle departments.

What are automatic license plate readers and how they work?

What are automatic license plate readers? Automatic license plate readers are devices that can be mounted on police cars or fixed on poles or on the roadside to scan the license plates of all cars passing by. These readers capture, at minimum, the license plate number of a car as well as its date, time and location.

Can ALPR cameras capture license plates of parked cars?

In addition to capturing images of passing vehicles, mobile ALPR cameras are effective at capturing license plates of parked cars. For example, a patrol car may drive around a public parking lot capturing hundreds of vehicles’ plates in minutes. Most of this ALPR data is stored in databases for extended periods of time—often as much as five years.

What does ALPR stand for in license plate reader?

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) PAGE. Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are high-speed, computer-controlled camera systems that are typically mounted on street poles, streetlights, highway overpasses, mobile trailers, or attached to police squad cars.

What is prohibiting automatic license plate recognition?

Prohibits the use of automatic license plate recognition systems except for certain public safety purposes. Provides that data collected is confidential and may be used only for law enforcement purposes. Data collected may not be stored more than 21 days.