Stratford Police Service to receive almost $170,000 for automated licence-plate readers

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The Stratford Police Service will receive $169,570 in provincial grant funding to support the incorporation of automated licence-plate recognition technology into its fleet, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae announced this week.

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According to Stratford police Chief Greg Skinner, this grant funding will allow the police service to equip an additional six uniform-patrol vehicles with automated licence-plate reader technology that can proactively detect vehicles that have been reported stolen, have been identified as part of an Amber Alert, are associated with uninsured or suspended drivers, or are being driven with expired registration among many other applications.

“One of our patrol vehicles had been equipped with (this) technology some years ago. I want to say 2017. It was prior to my arrival,” Skinner said. “So the technology has been available for some time but because of the changes in the way the government has been dealing with validation stickers on vehicles, it was time for them to increase the investment in the technology that would allow police the tools to identify unregistered vehicles or invalid vehicles and initiate the traffic stop.”

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“This funding will help provide our local police services with the tools they need to improve road safety in our communities,” Rae said in a press release. “The safety of our communities is paramount. That is why this investment is so important.”

The province’s investment in automated license-plate recognition technology supports the Ontario government’s recent elimination of licence-plate-renewal fees and stickers for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds.

“(This technology) can run multiple plates a second whereas for a police officer on patrol to pick up a radio handset, contact a dispatcher, run a plate and get that information back, they’re only running one plate in that time period,” Skinner said. ” … It causes some distraction. When officers are on patrol, to actually look down and run a plate is not modelling good behaviour when it comes to paying attention while driving.

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“And this (technology) provides an audible tone when there’s a vehicle deserving of some further investigation. … That allows that officer the ability to know what they’re getting into before the stop.”

And when it comes to finding a vehicle involved in an Amber Alert or other time-sensitive investigations, Skinner said having technology that can allow an officer to scan every licence plate in a parking lot or while driving down a highway can save precious time.

The technology, Skinner added, will also help reduce police avoid unnecessary traffic stops that can sometimes result in violent confrontations.

“When you look at what is going on down in the states, I can understand the philosophy. Some issues in the states have been revolving around the low-end traffic stops like validation stickers or a headlight is out, things like that, and have resulted in violent confrontations,” Skinner said. “I think the government is trying to support the police by making sure when they are stopping vehicles, they have that front-end information to deal with it appropriately.”

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The automated licence-plate recognition technology grant is a one-time grant intended to help police services strengthen roadside law-enforcement efforts and improve public safety across the province.

“This investment further demonstrates our government’s plan to ensure police services across Ontario have the resources and equipment they need to keep our communities safe,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner in the press release. “I am confident that this tool will be a tremendous asset to police services and help them combat incidents of auto theft and enhance public safety.”

While Skinner said the police service is still completing the funding agreement with the provincial government, he expects these licence-plate readers be equipped in all six patrol vehicles by July 2023.

In addition to this technology, Skinner said the Stratford Police Service has recently integrated other technology including body worn cameras, in-car video, digital evidence management and enhancements to CCTV to support the capturing of evidence and build public trust.

“Modern policing is expensive and the more we can incorporate technology, the more we can make the day-to-day work of a police officer more effective and efficient, and the better it is for the tax payer at the end of the day,” Skinner said.

gsimmons@postmedia.com