Tucson Police Wednesday are rolling out their newest crime fighting tool: cameras that automatically read license plates as officers patrol city streets.
The Automated License Plate Recognition system, or ALPR, will be used in an effort to decrease auto thefts and increase recovery rates of stolen vehicles, police say.
The devices can read hundreds of plates per hour, and will alert when it comes across a stolen one. Currently, officers must enter license plates into the computer by hand.
The system, which consists of small cameras mounted on to patrol cars, compares license plate numbers to a state database of wanted and stolen vehicles, according to the Tucson Police Department.
Manual entries can also be made into the system, such as license plate numbers for a vehicle used by a homicide suspect or a plate associated with an Amber Alert.
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