The MPH900 system can read plates at a closing speed of
150 miles per hour; this allows the officer to patrol at a normal speed
while the system reads every license plate they come in contact with and
alerts the officer if there is a match to a “hot list”. Because of the speed
of the reader systems, the volumes of plates being read and the fact that an
alarm must occur within seconds to be useful, LPR systems use a large list
of target plates stored locally in a “hot list” rather than relying on
real-time communications with State or Federal data sources. The NCIC
computer and the police dispatchers would not be capable of keeping up with
the high volume of license plates the system is running. This “hot list” is
typically transferred daily from the New Jersey State Police. There
are two separate lists; the first is the National Crime Information System
(NCIC) list which contains stolen vehicles, stolen license plates and wanted
persons. The second is the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) list
which includes New Jersey registrations that have been suspended or expired
within the last three years. We also have the capability of adding to the
list manually, meaning that the officer can enter a plate into the system
and be alerted when the plate is located. These manual lists could include
Amber Alerts, missing persons, terrorist watch lists, Somerset County alarms
and road blocks, Somerset County Most Wanted, Bridgewater Township warrants
and suspect interdiction. For example, when an AMBER Alert is issued the
vehicle information related to the AMBER Alert would be manually entered
into the system by the officer. Instantaneously, the officer will be alerted
if the plate was previously detected by the license plate reader. The system
also contains GPS technology that provides the officer with the date, time
and location of where the license plate was read. If not detected, the
license plate reader provides that extra set of eyes when observing traffic
during the AMBER Alert.
The LPR system was placed in operation on November 30,
2007; we recovered a stolen vehicle within the first four days of the system
being placed in operation. The vehicle was reported stolen from
Hillsborough Township on September 19, 2007. Evidence (sales receipt)
recovered in the vehicle showed that the vehicle was used the previous
night.
Our second stolen vehicle was located on December 19,
2007, nineteen days after the LPR system was placed into operation.
The stolen vehicle was traveling west on route 22; the system alarmed as the
officer drove past the vehicle. The vehicle was successfully stopped and
three subjects were subsequently arrested.
Officers have reported a higher number of motor vehicle
summonses issued as a direct result of the license plate reader. On
December 11, 2007, the officer assigned to the vehicle issued a total of 14
summonses and towed two vehicles.
