Tech Helps Cops Bust Motorists

[Steve Schear]

[It would seem possible to use a color reflective display, like 'electronic 
paper', to fool such a technology probably much easier than if the 
attention of officers were required to capture the information.  Soon 
anyone with the cajones can have 'rotating license plates'.  Steve]

Motorola's license-plate recognition technology will help police quickly 
get info on vehicles located near their squad cars.
December 1, 2005

Police cars could automatically scan nearby vehicles' license plates with a 
technology that 
<http://studio.financialcontent.com/Engine?Account=redherring&PageName=QUOTE&Ticker=MOT>Motorola 
and PIPS Technology launched Thursday, saving cops from currently having to 
type in a license plate number to search databases.

The Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology uses a camera to 
automatically read license plates as they come into view, and then checks 
the plates against police and motor vehicle databases.

The new system is quicker and requires no action on the part of the police 
officer, said Steve Most, multimedia business director for Motorola's radio 
systems division.

"The ALPR system gives public safety officers quick access to information 
about the vehicles around them," he said. "This helps increase their 
security and safety, as well as that of the general driving population."

Cellular company Motorola developed the technology and worked with PIPS 
Technology, a license plate recognition technology firm, to "ruggedize" the 
cameras so that they meet Motorola's specifications for public safety 
communications in the United States.

More at... 
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=14701&hed=Tech%20Helps%20Cops%20Bust%20Motorists