License Plate Readers Helping Fight Crime

DULUTH - Spring fever has hit the Northland, and with the warm weather comes an increase in crime.  And now, there's a new tool some police departments are begging for that's helping connect the dots on more crimes.

License plate readers in cop cars come with a bit of controversy though.

Duluth police have two cars fully equipped with the $15,000 scanning cameras. What it does is take a picture of each license plate it passes and enters it into a nationwide database.

When the technology first came out, there was no restriction on how often an officer could access the info.

Now, officers across the state have to have a case number, and go through a supervisor before they are granted any information.

“So we want to make sure that there are rules in place so people clearly understand when it can be used and when it can't,” explained Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay.

Duluth has had the license plate readers for three years.  Ramsay says they have helped catch people with warrants, expired drivers licenses, and stolen cars.