Sheriff's Office • 100 North Fifth Avenue West • Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2340 • www.stlouiscountymn.gov
Gordon Ramsay
Sheriff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 26, 2024
Media Contact: Sheriff Gordon Ramsay
(218) 726-2341
St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Installing Seven License Plate Reading Cameras to Solve Crimes
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce that effective 12/01/2023 we installed seven (7) automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras to solve and reduce crime.
The ALPR cameras send a real-time alert to law enforcement 24/7 when a stolen car or a vehicle of a known wanted suspect from a state or national crime database is detected. They also send alerts if a vehicle associated with a missing person in an AMBER or Silver Alert is detected.
The system also helps law enforcement solve crime by providing the objective evidence needed for investigations. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 7 in 10 crimes are committed with a vehicle. 7 million property crimes occur every year and 80% go unsolved because law enforcement often lacks a key piece of evidence when pursuing an investigation – a license plate for the suspect vehicle.
A priority of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is to prevent, detect and solve crimes. ALPR cameras are a proven method to solve crimes and keep communities safer.
ALPR cameras capture license plates and vehicle characteristics, not people or faces. Each search of the data requires a justification and involves a traceable audit, and the data is never sold or shared with third parties. The cameras are used to solve and reduce property and violent crime and are not intended for minor traffic or parking violations.
“We are here to keep people and their property safe, and this is going to help us do that. I’ve seen lost people with dementia found and habitual criminals arrested thanks to these systems”, said St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay.
ALPR cameras are in use in thousands of cities across the country by schools, neighborhoods, businesses, builders, and public safety agencies. Communities using ALPR cameras report solving more crimes and reducing crime as result of their use.
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