Rutgers University Security Vehicles Could Get License Plate Readers
The readers would help officers identify vehicles without the proper parking credentials.
The readers can normalize brightness and contrast to decipher plate numbers.
Rutgers University is considering installing license plate readers onto security vehicles to improve parking enforcement on campus.
The system, which would help officers identify vehicles without proper parking passes, wouldn’t be implemented for a few years if the university decides to make the investment, reports The Daily Targum.
“An officer would drive through the lot or deck with a camera attached to the security vehicle,” explains Jack Molenaar, the director of the Department of Transportation Services.
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Rutgers is looking into the technology as its community, New Brunswick, has been experimenting with license plate readers for more than a year. The city plans to equip its parking authority with cameras by the end of the 2016.
Molenaar first began considering the technology when he learned about a similar system at the University of Maryland that improved parking compliance.
UM spent $40,000 for each patrol vehicle to be outfitted with the plate readers and estimates that it saves $80,000 annually by stopping the use of hangtag parking permits on campus.
Some concerns over data collection and privacy concerns have been expressed on the UM campus. As a result of those concerns, the system only stores license plate data for 30 days.
Read Next: License Plate Readers Gathering Too Much Crime Data for Police Department
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