Years in the planning stages, Greater Sudbury Police Service will officially launch their Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) scanner on Wednesday.
In a news release Tuesday, the police said the scanner has been installed into one of its Traffic Management Unit cruisers.
“Officers have been trained to utilize this latest technology in order to detect those drivers who choose to contravene their License suspensions,” the release said.
“Currently, there are close to 10,000 suspended drivers in Greater Sudbury. These drivers have lost their privilege to drive in Ontario for various reasons, such as impaired driving convictions, medical reasons, or for failure to pay family support as well as unpaid fines.”
The system uses three cameras that capture two License plates per second, per camera. The captured License plate image is then compared against a list of License plates “deemed to be in poor standing” by the Ministry of Transportation.
In addition to suspended drivers, the onboard computer compares License plate numbers to a database of unattached plates, expired validations, stolen vehicles and plates and amber alerts.
Penalties for driving while suspended range from $1,000 to $25,000, depending on the number of offences and type of suspension. Seven-day impounds exist for some suspensions under the Highway Traffic Act while suspensions under the Criminal Code carry a 45-day impound.
“As part of our shared commitment to community safety and well-being, we are utilizing this new technology to enforce laws and ultimately hold offenders accountable for their actions,” the release said.
“By undertaking this initiative, the GSPS will enhance road safety through the use of this technology and at the same time provide for an intelligent and efficient way of detecting offences related to drivers and vehicles.”
Funds for the License plate scanner system comes from the Civil Remedies Illicit Activities program and are expected to provide positive results by providing our officers with another tool in order to conduct crime prevention in our community.
