Title
Recommendation to Authorize the Alameda Police Department to Pursue Grant Funding Sources for the Purchase and Implementation of Automated License Plate Recognition Equipment. (Police)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: John A. Russo, City Manager
Re: Authorize the Alameda Police Department to Pursue Grant Funding Sources for the Purchase and Implementation of Automated License Plate Recognition Equipment
BACKGROUND
Law enforcement officers are often searching for vehicles that have been reported stolen, are suspected of being involved in criminal or terrorist activities, are owned by persons who are wanted by authorities, have failed to pay parking violations or maintain current vehicle license registration or insurance, or any of a number of other legitimate reasons. Victims and witnesses are frequently able to provide police with a description of a suspect's vehicle including, in some cases, a full or partial reading of their license plate number. Depending on the seriousness of the incident, officers may receive a list of vehicles of interest at the beginning of their shift, or receive radio alerts throughout the day, providing vehicle descriptions and plate numbers including stolen vehicles, vehicles registered or associated with wanted individuals or persons of interest, vehicles attached to an AMBER or missing persons alert, and "be on the lookout" or "BOLO" alerts. These lists may be sizable and can present challenges for the patrol officer.
In response to the above, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation are increasingly adopting Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technologies to enhance their enforcement and investigative capabilities, expand their collection of relevant data, and expedite the tedious and time consuming process of manually comparing vehicle license plates with lists of stolen, wanted, and other vehicles of interest.
The Alameda Police Department is cons...
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