Cameras on cop cars helping police catch culprits
A few days ago, a provincial police officer got a notification from the Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) software in the cruiser while on Highway 417.
The notification comes up only when the software scans the plates for a vehicle in in the police database for another crime or marked as stolen. In this case, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was notified around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 7.
It was on Highway 417 near Nicholas Street and it was for a vehicle with a stolen plate.
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Officials stopped the vehicle and found the driver was unlicenced and not insured.
Lewis Thompson, 27, was charged with:
Possession Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000
- Drive motor vehicle – no licence
- Driver vehicle or boat with cannabis readily available
- Use plates not authorized for vehicle
- Fail to have insurance card
- Fail to surrender permit for motor vehicle
- Operate unsafe vehicle
- Drive motor vehicle, fail to display two plates
He will appear in court in January 2025.
The ALPR system is able to scan 5,000 plates an hour compared to a provincial database, which reads suspended, prohibited and drivers without licences.
