Since 2009, the Plano Police Department has employed license plate recognition (LPR) systems, which utilize optical character recognition algorithms to essentially “read” the alphanumeric characters on vehicle registration plates. These results are then compared against one or more lists containing known registrations that are of interest to public safety agencies, such as those related to statewide alerts (e.g., Amber, Silver, Blue, CLEAR, etc.), stolen vehicles, outstanding arrest warrants, registered sex offenders, and suspected criminal activity. If a match occurs, real-time notifications are provided to first responders and support personnel who must then work quickly to confirm the information received so the appropriate action(s) may be taken. Since the inception of this program until just recently, we had relied exclusively upon vehicle-mounted systems, resulting in the recovery of many stolen vehicles and the apprehension of multiple criminal offenders. While these mobile systems have certainly proven themselves as beneficial, they do have limitations. For example, data captures are limited to those places where large first responder vehicles are driven. The identified vehicle is also often traveling in a different direction, which can make apprehension difficult. Additionally, the location of detection may be of minimal use in criminal investigations when both vehicles were in motion in transit to other destinations at the time of data capture.
Many law enforcement agencies have installed fixed LPR systems, which remain in place at roadway intersections and other locations where vehicles of interest are expected to frequently travel. Much success has been attributed to these deployments, especially in the recovery of stolen vehicles. They can also provide valuable investigative data, such as the identification of routes commonly used by vehicles involved in criminal activity. While these systems are unquestionably valuable tools for use by law enforcement agencies, they can also be very expensive to purchase, install, and maintain. As an alternative to the vehicle-mounted and fixed models, there are also various portable systems available. These are typically battery powered devices that are equipped with high resolution cameras and cellular modems. They can operate independently to gather registration detections and provide real-time alerts just like the fixed and mobile systems. The primary advantages of this option versus the vehicle-mounted and fixed counterparts include lower cost, smaller footprint, ease of installation, autonomous operation, and rapid deployability. A few months ago, Motorola provided our agency with one of their portable LPR cameras, an L5Q, which is powered by batteries and has a small solar panel for sustained remote operation. This unit was installed near a public storage facility where a number of trailers had already been stolen. Within just a few hours, two men drove their pickup truck into the location and left with a flatbed trailer that did not belong to them. As soon as they became aware of the theft, detectives accessed the images captured by the portable LPR camera and quickly identified the suspects. This success with the portable LPR camera was followed by many others, with dozens of property crime cases now having been cleared and multiple arrest warrants issued as a result of these deployments. In addition to the L5Q, the police department recently deployed a borrowed L6Q, which is a newer model offered by Motorola. The L6Q can also be deployed in remote locations with no need for external power; however, it uses radar sensors instead of motion detection for activation of the camera. It is therefore a better option for placement along roadways, where vehicles are expected to be traveling at higher rates of speed than in parking lots where the L5Q has been most effective. Based upon the highly positive results obtained using these demonstrative devices, the police department would like to purchase a total quantity of 50 units (40 L5Q and 10 L6Q). The L6Q cameras will likely be installed near traffic intersections and along roadways of concern for real-time alerting, while the L5Q devices will be utilized for standalone deployment at various other hotspots to address community crime trends and/or mounted on portable camera towers as needed to augment their existing capabilities.
Although at least one other provider does offer devices that are similar to the Motorola L5Q and L6Q models, none are believed to be capable of long-term remote deployability due to power concerns, and they have very limited retention of detections, rendering them much less useful for criminal investigations. Also, the detections and comparative lists are managed on a completely different software platform, which makes oversight more difficult for police department investigators and support personnel. The Motorola devices are currently available on Texas DIR Cooperative Contract #TSO-4101, and the total cost with warranty for the 50 cameras is $100,000 annually.
I strongly recommend we proceed with this procurement. Failure to do so will diminish the Police Department’s ability to most effectively fulfill its mission to provide a safe environment for the citizens of Plano.
The City is authorized to purchase from the State Contract list pursuant to Chapter 271 Subchapter D of the Texas Local Government Code and by doing so satisfies any State Law requiring local governments to seek competitive bids for items. (DIR Contract No. DIR-TSO-4101 and City of Plano Contract No. 2023-0243-O)