There are many layers to enhancing retail establishments’ safety and security, starting with deterrence. Good lighting, locks and alarms are basic, as are having well-trained staff and protocols. Another tool is a security camera to identify individuals and—just as important— the vehicles they use to commit crimes.
“Statistics show that 70 percent of crimes involve a vehicle,” Jake White, a law enforcement consultant with Insight LPR, said. “While most retailers may have security cameras—some of which are overtly deployed and some that are not—license plate recognition (LPR) technology is now being used to deter, detect and investigate retail crime.”
The growing use of LPR technology is a strategic solution for retailers because it enhances law enforcement’s investigative efforts. LPR images captured by a mounted stationary camera identify vehicles near a location and around a specific timeframe, but when law enforcement needs to know where that vehicle ultimately traveled from or to, they rely on mobile LPR data generated by LPR-equipped vehicles.
Helping law enforcement to tie criminals to their crimes is Insight LPR, which offers fixed LPR high-definition camera solutions and controls valuable LPR data collected by a fleet of vehicles covering areas not served by fixed cameras. Insight LPR boasts a 96 percent capture rate both day and night.
To start, the images that Insight LPR technology captures are clear, clean and crisp. Once captured, the images are then converted into data using Insight LPR’s proprietary algorithms, with the vehicle’s license plate number compared against agencies’ and customers’ “hot” lists.
Importantly, Insight LPR’s technology captures vehicles traveling at a speed of 120 mph or greater up to 130 feet away. It can also capture the direction of traffic, speed, make, and color of vehicles. And when a crime is committed, the speed with which data is captured is critical; Insight LPR technology can capture and report information in less than ten seconds.
“Retailers need LPR technology because they can’t put cameras up everywhere,” White added. “With the connected network established by Insight LPR, retailers and others using this technology can work with law enforcement to deter and solve crime.”