Communities embrace use of license plate readers

Communities across the region are considering or have installed license plate readers on local streets and highways.

As TribLive reported in March, Springdale is one of the latest to adopt the Automated National Noninvasive Insurance Enforcement (ANNIE) program, designed for police departments to address uninsured and unregistered vehicles.

Tarentum also is considering participating in the ANNIE traffic program. It already has traffic cameras mounted at key intersections and three mobile license plate readers mounted on police vehicles.

Greensburg police Chief Charles Irvin is gathering information from other departments in the region, and the city council is expected to consider license readers this spring.

Allegheny Township in northern Westmoreland has a reader system in place.

In Allegheny County, more than 400 license plate readers have been installed, according to the district attorney’s office.

Readers are in use or planned for use in Derry, East Huntingdon, Hempfield, Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Rostraver, Unity, Washington Township and Youngwood, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

When a license plate enters the camera’s field, the reader takes a photo of the car, its license plate and limited surroundings, then converts the image into electronic data.

It records license plate information and the time, date and place it was captured.

Cameras can scan up to 1,800 license plates per minute.