(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A License Plate Reader has been installed at a Gold Coast intersection, part of a growing network of the linked cameras.
Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said the new surveillance tool joins a Police Observation Device, or POD camera, that is attached to a light pole. License Plate Readers, or LPRs, scan passing license plates to help locate vehicles that have been used in crimes.
In a practical sense, Hopkins tells WBBM Newsradio, police may be able to leverage the technology to disrupt armed robbery sprees in which suspects use stolen vehicles. Another part of the equation is whether police officers pursue suspects or let them flee to avoid danger to the public, he said.
“It is a balancing act, and I think we need to do a better job in effecting that balance,” Hopkins said.
Illinois state police have used LPRs on expressways following a series of shootings on Chicago area interstates.
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