Nassau County to equip cops with new instant license plate readers

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FILE - Photo of a Nassau County Police officer.( Photo by Andrew Theodorakis/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - Nassau County is expected to receive $1 million in state funding to equip cops with new, instant license plate readers to help combat crime, identify stolen vehicles, and aid in Amber Alert searches.

County Executive Laura Curran will make the announcement Thursday. The specialized cameras will use image-processing technology to instantaneously cross-check against ‘plates of interest’ databases.

The 'hotlists' contain information about the vehicles’ registration status, whether the vehicle has been reported stolen or has been involved in a crime, and whether the vehicle’s owner has been identified as a person of interest, ranging from being a parking scofflaw to being listed on a terrorist watch list.

NASSAU COUNTY COVERAGE

Police will use the fixed and covert cameras in patrol cars, on poles and on portable speed/message trailers.

Information from the LPRs will be recorded and archived allowing investigators to analyze the data to identify crime trends and patterns. Detectives will be able to conduct searches of plates captured within specific areas or times and identify the vehicle.

The funding secured by St. Sen. Kevin Thomas will purchase approximately 24 LPRs that are expected to be rolled out by the end of the year.