Second digital scanner for licence plates added

A year after landing on Ottawa roads, a device that allows police to digitally hunt for the plates of stolen cars and unlicensed drivers has been such a boon to the cause of safer roads that they’ve added a second unit with plans for a third.

Since city police started using the Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) system in August 2016, traffic enforcement officers have nabbed 140 suspended or prohibited drivers, 255 unlicensed drivers, 1,706 vehicles with validations that had long since expired, four stolen vehicles or plates and two suspects wanted on warrants.

“Numerous” other Highway Traffic Act and criminal charges have been laid, police said.

The technology has become “an enormous success in identifying drivers who should not be on the road,” Sgt. Robert Cairns of traffic services said.

“The use of this technology is an important contribution to ensuring that our roads continue to be safe for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers,” said Rob Wilkinson of Safer Roads Ottawa, a joint project of the police, fire and ambulance services, public health and city’s transportation services.

Police have added a second unit, which was also funded by the Safer Roads Ottawa, and plan to add one to a front line patrol vehicle next.

In line with privacy guidelines, Ottawa police agreed to track data only for offenders, which is stored for five years, while licence plates of “non-hit” vehicles are immediately purged from the databank.