The rapid diffusion of license plate readers in US law enforcement agencies

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to document the diffusion of license plate readers (LPRs) in the USA, examining the variety, evolution and tracking of their uses through a national survey. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a national, stratified, representative survey of US law enforcement agencies with 100 or more officers. Findings LPR technology is currently used by at least two-thirds of larger police agencies, which represents a more than threefold increase in LPR acquisition in the last 10 years. The number of LPRs per agency, while small (about eight on average), has also more than doubled. Federal and state funding, advocacy by law enforcement leaders, and the intuitive appeal of LPRs have likely contributed to this rapid adoption. While LPRs are still primarily used to detect and recover stolen automobiles in patrol, their use has expanded into other types of investigative and security functions. Despite the increased use and numbers of LPRs in policing, their use is highly discretionary and infrequently tracked. Practical implications LPRs continue to be widely used in law enforcement, despite a lack of strong research evidence for their crime prevention benefits. Further studies are needed on the most effective ways for agencies to utilize small numbers of LPRs and the potential return on investment for acquiring larger numbers of the devices. Originality/value This study tracks the history of LPR diffusion and use and goes beyond prior law enforcement surveys by examining specific uses of LPRs and the extent to which agencies track their uses and outcomes.

The Social Psychology of Racially Biased Policing: Evidence-Based Policy Responses

“…Although this technology raises numerous ethical questions and civil liberty concerns, the use of ALPRs is increasingly widespread. In 2013, 63% of law enforcement agencies with at least 100 sworn officers reported using ALPRS, and the number was expected to increase, spurred by federal and state funding (Lum et al, 2016). Although limiting officer discretion could reduce the reliance on stereotypes when deciding who to stop, the use of ALPRs is not likely to entirely replace officer decision-making, allowing bias to play a role.…”

Estimating dynamic origin–destination demand: A hybrid framework using license plate recognition data

“…Although the coverage rate of loop detectors in the United States may be higher than that of LPR, in China and other Asian countries (e.g., Singapore), LPR is becoming more and more popular and has a higher penetration rate due to its use in law enforcement (Mo et al., ). There is also much evidence of increasing LPR deployment in the United States (Lum et al., ). Therefore, we expect that LPR data can replace previous data sources in the future.…”

The Impacts of Large-Scale License Plate Reader Deployment on Criminal Investigations

“…58-83;Ohio State Highway Patrol, 2005;Ozer, 2010;PA Consulting Group, n.d., 2004;Potts, 2018;Taylor, Koper, & Woods, 2011, 2012. In contrast, there is scant evidence on whether LPR use actually improves investigative clearances or reduces crime (Lum et al, 2018;Lum & Koper, 2017, pp. 120-124).…”

“…1 The CMPD study is also notable in that it highlights fixed LPR deployment. Although police most commonly mount LPRs on moving patrol cars, they deploy about one-quarter of their units at fixed locations (Lum et al, 2018). The relative advantages and disadvantages of fixed versus mobile deployment have received little attention, as studies of LPRs to date have largely focused on patrol use (for an exception, see Ohio State Highway Patrol, 2005).…”

“…In recent years, police have increasingly sought to improve their efficiency and effectiveness, especially in the investigation and clearance of crime, through the use of new technologies. One relatively new surveillance and information-gathering technology that has spread rapidly in American policing in the last 10 years is license plate recognition technology (Lum et al., 2018). Automated license plate readers (referred to hereafter as LPRs) are high-speed camera and information systems that read vehicle license plates in real-time (using optical character-recognition technology), check them instantaneously against databases with license plates linked to vehicles and persons of interest (e.g., stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, and vehicles linked to wanted persons), and give automatic alerts when matches are made.…”