License plate reader on the hunt for info

Chief Deputy Tom Brennan stands next to the patrol car with the two cameras mounted on the roof. The left camera reads the license plate of parked cars on the right of the patrol car; the other camera reads the license plate of an oncoming car.

At left, the laptop computer and the screen of the Remington Mobile Plate Hunter 900 with a plate showing up from a parked truck, purposely blurred. "Fortunately, my registration is A-OK," says photographer Walter Horylev.

License plate reader on the hunt for info

Motorists in Orleans County, the Orleans County Sheriff's have got your number, your license plate number that is. About a month ago, the department installed a Remington License Plate Reader system in one of their marked patrol cars and so far they have read 18,000 license plates which triggered 100 valid alarms. Each alarm alerted the sheriff that something illegal was going on; most of the offenses were suspended registration, many of them for insurance reasons. That results in a fine of $150 to $200 with an additional civil penalty for insurance lapse.

The unit comprises two cameras on the roof of the patrol car, one camera reading the plates of cars driving towards the patrol car, the other reading the plates of parked cars to the right of the patrol car, using infrared technology. The readings are processed by a computer in the trunk of the patrol car and delivered to a laptop screen next to the driver within one second. As Chief Deputy Tom Brennan said, "One driver with a violation exclaimed: "How did you find me so fast?"

The system runs the plate number through the New York State Police Information Network and the National Crime Information Center databases. The unit can alert the sheriff-driver to a stolen car or plates or any crimes associated with a particular New York State plate number. The unit also records the date, time and location of the individual scan. In addition, plate numbers can be programmed into the system through the laptop keyboard when appropriate.

The high-speed computerized system cost about $22,000. Funds were provided by the New

York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. The Orleans County Sheriff's Department gives that organization monthly feedback on performance aspects. Sheriff Scott Hess says that it is the latest advancement in law enforcement technology. "This system does not discriminate; it runs every license plate it scans."

According to Chief Deputy Tom Brennan: "It's an amazing tool!"