>>>>>>>I've been better than I deserve! I'm having fun as the systems manager for the RTCC and one of my latest projects involves writing a program that runs on our LPR (license plate reader) cameras in the squad cars. We went out a few nights ago to test the program and had interesting results. The LPR cameras read tags and stores them in a sql express database on the in-car computer. My app pulls the new tags, does a lookup into the local MVR database, then checks to see if the registration has expired. If it has, I give an audible alert, then there is a battery of other queries that I run. Warrants at the given address, sex offenders, known gangsters, parolees, scofflaws, etc. The other night we got three matches on warrants (these were matches where the registered owner of the vehicle and the fugitive had matching last names which inittiates a siren wave file).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I'm calling this the "death star", because the criminals are going to feel like it is!
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>>>>>>Is it legal? Sounds a lot like arrest by profiling.
>>>>>
>>>>>Duh, it's totally legal. LPR cameras have been in use all over the US for several years now. I'm just extending the default behavior. Who knows, maybe we can flush some of our criminals all the way to Chicago!
>>>>
>>>>In the Uk the check for insurance as well. I got stopped on the motorway when my insurance address didn't match the car registration. First time I've been stopped for about 20 years but I felt instantly guilty.
>>>
>>>Yep, we will be doing that too. Our objective is to keep a polite society through better enforcement techniques.
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>>Police here (I'm sure its the same there) find that uninsured and untaxed drivers are frequently also career criminals (though not bright ones)
>
>A person who will rob, rape and steal usually cares very little about traffic laws. Many studies have been done that demonstrate how aggressive traffic law enforcement yields many felony arrests. Personally, I probably stopped a couple of thousand cars during my time in the field, but I only wrote a handfull of tickets. I did make a ton of arrests though, because of what happened after I got to play "20 questions" with the people in the car.

"I'm willing to overlook this infraction that will make your insurance go up hundreds of dollars, ma'am."