What Ontario drivers need to know about major rollout of licence plate scanning technology
CTV
The Ontario Provincial Police will easily be able to catch drivers for even minor infractions with the major expansion of licence plate scanning technology in the province.
The Ontario Provincial Police will easily be able to catch drivers for even minor infractions with the major expansion of licence plate scanning technology in the province.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CTV News Toronto the Automatic Licence Plate Reader (ALPR) system expansion began on Monday in the Greater Toronto Area, and will continue to rollout further across Ontario in the coming weeks.
“We have been using it for several years in a limited capacity,” Schmidt said in an interview. “Now, it’s being rolled out to every car across the province.”
Schmidt said the ALPR technology instantly notifies police of things like expired registration, arrest warrants, or if a vehicle is stolen. It also has the capability of capturing vehicles of interest during amber alerts.
Up to three cameras are mounted on top of police cruisers. One or two cameras point forward, and one points backwards, so that an officer can scan cars in multiple directions.
Schmidt said the technology will be a "game changer" for police, who can now scan hundreds of licence plates within minutes while monitoring the roadways.
For example, within 22 minutes of patrolling Highway 403 in Mississauga on Monday, Schmidt said the system was able to flag 32 vehicles for infractions.
