LPR Technology | MPH-900 | License Plate Reader

KANSAS CITY, MO - A hi-tech tool is now helping Kansas City. Mo., police catch criminals. It's the future of crime fighting. In about 45 seconds the Mobile Plate Hunter 900 can do what it would take an officer and dispatcher more than an hour to accomplish: run a parking lot full of license plates.

In late June one car in each patrol division of Kansas City was outfitted with a new license plate reader system, totaling seven squad cars. The system takes infrared pictures of license plates and compares them to a hot list stocked with information about warrants and stolen vehicles. It also archives each vehicle's plate and maps it, so over time, investigators can follow a car's movements.

"Tax dollars good at work," said Ryan Ragland.

Three weeks ago Ragland's car was stolen from his driveway in Gardner, Kan., for the second time in less than a year. Last week, officers in Kansas City were driving through a parking lot when they were alerted to a stolen car using the new system. Police pulled the car over, ran the VIN number and, sure enough, Ragland's car had been recovered.

"This system saved me money," Ragland said. "Getting another car to replace this one until insurance gets figured out, so it's a big weight off my shoulders."

The system is connected to a criminal database and alerts officers to things like warrants, stolen cars and plates. Officers use that information to call a dispatcher to compare it to the live database.

Ragland said he likes the new system and hopes every police car will someday have it installed, but until then, he isn't taking any chances.

"I'll take my starter fuse out, so when they put the key in they can't do anything," he said. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame, on me. There isn't gonna be a third time."

During a one-hour ride-along the system was able to scan 1,115 license plates and came up with 46 hits ranging from arrest warrants and traffic tickets and one stolen license plate.

Hi-tech Tool Catches Car Criminals in Record Time