Microsoft Word - ALPR - FINAL - REVISED 10-30-12 1.doc

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BestPracticesGuidefor ImprovingAutomatedLicense

PlateReaderEffectivenessthroughUniformLicense

PlateDesignandManufacture

July,2012

RevisedOctober30,2012



Inearly2011,CustomsandBorderProtection(CBP)askedtheAmericanAssociationofMotorVehicle

Administrators(AAMVA)ifstackedletters arepartofastate’sofficiallicenseplatenumber.AAMVA

advisedthatanationalstandarddoesnotexist.Subsequentdiscussionsrevealedabroaderscopeof

issuesthatadverselyimpactAutomated

LicensePlateReader(ALPR)effectivenessinaccuratelyreading

licenseplatenumbers.Furthercomplicatingtheissueisthefactthatmanyofthebusinessrules

governingthecreationoflicenseplatenumbersvaryfromstatetostate.

Asaresult,AAMVAformedtheALPRWorkingGrouptoaddressthenon‐standardizationof

licenseplate

designandmanufactureamongthestatesaswellastheprovincesandterritories ofCanada(hereinafter

referredtoasjurisdictions).

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TheWorkingGroup,fundedbyCBP,conducteditsfirs tmeetinginJune2011.W orkinggroupmembers

includedrepresentativesfromstatemotorvehicleagencies,lawenforcement,atollauthority

andCBP.

Severalindustryrepresentativesservedastechnicaladvisorstotheworkinggroup.

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TableofContents  Pagei

Table of Contents

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TableofContents..................................................................................................................................i

ExecutiveSummary............................................................................................................................. 1

SectionI‐ProblemStatement..............................................................................................................2

Section2‐LicensePlateHistory&Background....................................................................................4

Section3‐FundamentalsofAutomatedLicensePlateReaders..........................................................10

Section4‐LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefits....................................................................23

Section5‐MobilityandRevenueLoss

...............................................................................................28

Section6‐BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesign&Manufacture.....................................................36

AppendixA‐ALPRWorkingGroupMemberList................................................................................42

AppendixB–AAMVARec ommendationsforUniformLicensePlates.................................................44

AppendixC‐ALPRCaseLaw..............................................................................................................46

AppendixD‐InternationalAssoci ationofChiefsofPoliceResolution

................................................48

AppendixE‐TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicens e PlateResearch.......................................................51

AppendixF‐NorthCarolinaStateUniversityStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPR....85

AppendixG‐LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet..........................................................106

.............................................................................................................................................................i

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ExecutiveSummaryPage1



ExecutiveSummary



Sincetheirinceptionmorethanacenturyago,thelicenseplatehasprimarilybeenusedtodisplay

informationforfastandaccurateidentificationofamotorvehicleandtodemonstratecompliancewith

motorvehicleregistrationlaws.

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AutomatedLicensePlateReaders(ALPRs)providelawenforcementwiththeabilitytochecklicense

platesagainstvariousdatabases.Inconsistentbusinessrulesutilizedbytheentitieswhoissuelicense

platesresultin“misreads”,diminishinglawenforcement’sabilitytoidentifyandapprehendsuspected

criminalsorterrorists,recoverstolenvehicles,orassistpeopleinneedofassistance.Inaddition,these

inconsistencieshamperCustomsandBorderProtection’s(CBP)ability

tocorrectlyidentifyvehicles

crossinginternationalborders.

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Tollingauthoritiesthatcollecttollsusing ALPRorsimilartechnologyarealsoharmedbyinconsistencies

betweenjurisdictionsandgovernmententitiesarelosingrevenuefromuncollectedtollscausedby

inaccuratereadsoflicenseplates.



ArecentstudyconductedbythePoliceExecutiveResearchForum

(PERF)

1

andtheMesa,ArizonaPolice

DepartmentconcludedthatALPRsincreasedlicenseplatereadsbyafactorofmorethaneight.What

thestudydidnot,andcouldnotreveal,isthenumberofhits“missed”becauseoflicenseplate

misreads.Astudyconductedbyonetollingauthorityestablisheda

misreadrateof20%.Regardlessof

themisreadrateinaparticularjurisdiction,thereisnorefutingthatmisreadsoccur.Andwhentheydo,

thepotentialexiststomissopportuni tiestoarrestasuspectedcriminalorterrorist,torecoverastolen

vehicle,orcollecttollrevenue.

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Thepurposeofthisguide

istoidentifybestpracticesinlicenseplatedesign,manufactureandissuance

toaidjurisdictionsincreatingandissuinglicenseplatesbestsuitedtovehicleidentification.Thelackof

nationalstandardsregardingthedesignandmanufacturingoflicenseplateslimitstheeffectivenessof

ALPRtechnologymeanttoassistinimproving

highwayandpublicsafety.Licenseplatesserveacommon

purposeacrossjurisdictions.Theyshouldalsosharecommoncharacteristicsthatallowreadability,

usability,andconnectionstovehicleregistrationrecords.



Thescopeoftheserecommendationsislimitedtothephysicalcharacteristicsoflicenseplates,the

informationdisplayedonplates,andtheplacementof

licenseplatesonmotorvehiclesandtrailers.

Rulesonissuesperipheraltotheseconcerns,suchasplateassignment(platewithowner),

personalization,ormanufacturingsitesareoutsidethescopeofthisdocument.







1

CriticalIssuesinPolicingSeries:“HowAreInnovationsinTechnologyTransformingPolicing?”PoliceExecutive

ResearchForum,January2012.



Section1‐ProblemStatementPage2

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SectionI

ProblemStatement

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Afunctional,accurateandcosteffectivesystemforreadinglicenseplates is criticaltopublicsafetyand

security.AutomatedLicensePlateReaders(ALPRs)providelawenforcementwiththeabilitytocheck

thelicenseplateagainstvariousdatabasessuchastheNationalCrimeInformationCenter(NCIC),

TerroristWatchLists,andsuspended

driverrecords,tonamejustafew.Thepoliceagencyusingthe

technologymaychoosewhichdatabasestocheckagainstusingALPRtechnology.



Inconsistentbusinessrulesutilizedbytheentitieswhoissuelicenseplatesresultin“misreads”,

diminishinglawenforcement’sabilitytoidentifyandapprehendsuspectedcriminalsorterrorists,

recoverstolen

vehicles,orassistpeopleinneedofassistance.Inaddition,theseinconsistencieshamper 

CustomsandBorderProtection’s(CBP)abilitytocorrectlyidentify vehiclescrossinginternational

bordersusingALPRtechnology.



Theseinconsistenciesinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

 useofstackedcharactersandwhethertheyarepartoftheofficial

licenseplatenumber

 useofnon‐alpha/numericcharacters

 licenseplatedesignandmanufacture

 licenseplatecovers,framesandlighting

 onevs.twoplaterequirements



Federal,State,localandtribalpublicsafetyagenciesrelyonaccurateandtimelyinformation to

effectivelyandefficientlyperformthemultipletasksrequired

aspartoftheirjob.Informationis

availableinmultipleformats,includingBeOntheLookOut(BOLO),AttempttoLocate(ATL),officer

safetyinformation,missingpersons,AmberAlertsforatriskchildren,SilverAlertsforatriskadults,and

more.Informationregardinghomelandsecurity,terrorismorextremistactivityis

alsoavailable.Much

ofthisinformationcanbe,andoftenis,associatedwithavehicle’slicenseplate .Theabilityoflicense

platereaderstoquicklyandaccuratelyscanthousandsoflicenseplatesisascriticaltothemenand

womenoflawenforcementwhocontacthundredsofthousandsofpeoplethroughout

theUnitedStates

andCanadaeveryday,asitistoCBPofficersandagentsmonitoringinternationalportsofentry.



ThetollingauthoritiesthatcollecttollsusingALPRorsimilartechnologyarealsoharmedby

inconsistenciesbetweenjurisdictions.Governmententitiesarelosingrevenuefromuncollectedtolls

causedbyinaccuratereads

oflicenseplates.



ThefullpotentialofALPRwillnotberealizedwithoutstandardizingcertainbusinessrulesforlicense

platedesignandmanufactureacrossallNorthAmericanjurisdictions.Currently,thedisparityoflicense

platecharacters,theuseofspeciallogos,andplatevisibilityissuesaresignificantchallenges preventing



Section1‐ProblemStatementPage3



fullyeffectiveuseofthistechnology.Nationalstandardsforlicenseplateformatsarenecessaryto

maximizetheefficiencyandeffectivenessofALPRtechnologyanditsroleinimprovingofficer,traffic,

andpublicsafetyaswellastominimizelostrevenuetogovernmentsthatadministertollroads.



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage4



Section2

LicensePlateHistory&Background



Introduction

Sincetheirinceptionmorethanacenturyago,thelicenseplatehasprimarilybeenusedtodisplay

informationforfastandaccurateidentificationofamotorvehicleandtodemonstratecompliancewith

motorvehicleregistrationlaws.



Specialtyandvanityplateshavesinceemergedandbecomeasourceofrevenueforhighway

funding,

tollauthoritiesandsponsoringorganizations.Theyalsopromotetheissuingjurisdictionandmany

worthycauses.



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage5



Hand‐Made,Horse‐Drawn

ThefirstrecordofaregistrationplateintheUnitedStateswasinPhiladelphia,Pennsylvaniainthe

1850s.Eventhen,legibilityofplateswasaconcernandhorse‐drawnvehiclesrequiredregistrationtobe

identifiedwithnumbers“notlessthanfourincheshigh”.Amongotherthings,thesenum bersprovided

ameans

ofidentificationwhenreportinganincidentinvolvinginappropriateorrecklessdriving.Today,

onlythestateofIndianastillrequiresalicenseplateonahorse‐drawncarriage.



Theconstructionoftheseearlyregistrationplateswaslefttotheinnovationofthevehicleowner;wood,

brassorothermetalsaffixedto

leatherbackingswerecommonmeansofconstruction.Duringthenext

50yearsmanycitiesrequiredregistration,andfrequentlyrequiredpaymentofamodestregistration

fee.



EarlyMassProductionandUniformity

Intheearly1900swiththeadventofmotorizedvehicles,jurisdictions tookresponsibilityforregistration

andstandardizationofplateissuance.



In1901,NewYorkbecamethefirststatetorequirelicensenumbersonmotorvehicles.In1903,

Massachusettswasthefirststatetoissueastandardstatewideplate.Otherssoonfollowed,

but

issuanceofplatesremainedinconsistent.



Californiaalsobeganrequiringplatesin1903butdidnotproducethem;theAutomobileClubof

SouthernCalifornia(anearlyAAAorganization)issued licenseplates–calledmouseears–tomembers

for$1.00.Thestateassumedthisresponsibilityin1910.



By1915,nearly

alljurisdictionsissuedlicenseplates

onanannualbasisandchargedaregistrationfee

thatallowedavehicletobedrivenonpublicroads.

Itwasrecognizedearlyonbygovernmentofficials

thataregistrationsystemprovidedalevelof

securityandasourceoftransportationrevenue.

However,licenseplate

designcontinueddownan

inconsistent,haphazardpath.Itwasn’tuntil1956

thatastandardplatesize(12”x6”)wasintroduced

attherequestofautomobilemanufacturersto

makeiteasiertoincorporatemountingdevicesfor

licenseplates.



IntegratingSafetyConcepts

Withtherapidincreaseinthemotorvehiclepopulationinthe1920sand30s,trafficcrashesincreased

dramatically,leadingtotheneedtoimprovenotonlyvehicleidentification,bu talsovehiclesafety.The

licenseplatebecameonemeanstoimprovesafetybyprovidingadevicethatimprovedthenight

Startingin1903,“mouseear”platesweresoldfor

$1bytheAutomobileClubofSouthernCalifornia.



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage6



visibilityofmotorvehicles.Thefirstretro‐reflectivelicenseplatesintheU.S.wereissuedbyNew

Mexicoin1936andusedglassbeadsembeddedinpaint.



Asretro‐reflectivetechnologyadvanced,fullyretro‐reflectiveplatesbecamepossibleandthefirstwas

issuedbyConnecticutin1947,followedbyMainein

1949.Delawarefollowedsuitin1950,followedby

RhodeIslandandOregonin1951.



Duringthe1950s,relativelynewsheetingutilizedenclosedlenstechnologyandgaveretro‐reflective

platestheirbiggestboost.Minnesotahadthedistinctionofbeingthefirststatetousethesheetingon

automobilelicenseplates.



The

effectthatretro‐reflectiveplateshadonnighttimemotorvehiclecrasheswasdramatic,anditdid

notgounnoticed.In1956‐thefirstyearofuseinMinnesota‐deathsduetoautomobilecrashesin

ruralareasdroppedfrom24toninepercent.Urbanareafatalitiesinvolvingparkedvehiclesdecreased

from28

to7percent. Overthefirst14yearsthattheStateofMainehadretro‐reflectiveplatesonits

vehicles,highwayofficialsestimatedthattherewasa58percentreductioninafter‐dark,vehicle‐related

fatalities.



StandardsMaterialize

TinySanMarino–thesmallestrepublicinEurope,withanareaofonly24squaremiles–hadthe

distinctionofbeingthefirstcountryonthatcontinenttomakereflectivelicenseplatesmandatory;on

all2,500ofitsautomobiles.Inanotherhemisphere,theSouthandCentralAmericancountriesof

Peru

andCostaRicaalsobecamepioneersinretro‐reflectivelicenseplates.InCanada,theprovincesof

NewfoundlandandAlbertaledtheway.Today,all50U.S.statesandamajorityofothercountriesinthe

worlduseretro‐reflectiveplates.

Withtheadventofretro‐reflectivelicenseplates,law

enforcementrealizedabenefitinimproved

legibility.Whileoneoftheoriginalintentsofavehicleregistrationnumberwastoaidlawenforcement,

therealitywasthatnon‐reflectiveplatescouldonlybeeasilyreadduringdaylighthours.Retro‐

reflectionprovidedgreatlyimprovedlegibilityatnight,andeventodayfullyretro

‐reflectiveplates

continuetohavestrongendorsementfromU.S.lawenforcementofficials,whoadvocatefullyretro‐

reflectiveplatesonboththefrontandrearofthevehicleforimpr ovedsafetyandlawenforcement

efficiency.



Whileearlylicenseplateswereoftenho memadeordevisedofporcelain,steelbecamethepredominant

base

materialforplatesduringthefirsthalfofthe20

th

century.However,duringtheperiodthat

coveredtheSecondWorldWar,therewasahighdemandforsteel.Inordertoconservesteelforthe

wareffort,moststatesissuedonlyoneplatepervehicle.Today,aluminumdominatesasthematerial

usedinlicenseplatemanu facture.



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage7



After1945,moststatesreturnedtothepre‐warpracticeofrequiringtwoplatespervehicle.Sincethen

anumberofstateshavemovedfromtwoplatestooneorviceversa.Statestypicallymovetooneplate

withtheintenttosaveonthecostofthesecondplate.During

thelate1980s,Connecticutwasthelast

statetomovefromoneplatetotwoplates.Lawenforcementeffectivenesswascitedastheprimary

reasonforthechange.TheU.S.andCanadaaretwoofasmallnumberofcountriesthatallowone

plate.ThefollowingchartidentifiestheNorth

Americanjurisdictionsthatrequireeitheroneortwo

licenseplates.



WithintheU.S.andCanada,eachjurisdictionisresponsibleforissuinglicenseplatesforvehicles

registeredintheirjurisdiction.Inordertocreateaplateuniqueandeasilyrecognizabletothat

jurisdiction,combinationsofcolorswereoriginallyused.Platebackground

colorandcolorsofthe

alphanumericwerevaried,alongwiththecharacters,tocreatethenecessarycombinationsneededfor

vehicleclassificationsandtodifferentiateplatesamongthejurisdictions.Withincreasesinvehicle

populationsandregistrationclassifications,coloralonewasnotenough.Graphictechnologybecame

availableintheearly1970sthat

allowedanotherlevelofdifferentiationoflicenseplates.In1973,

Illinoiswasthefirststatetousegraphicspreprintedonthereflectivesheeting,foraspecialplatefor

disabledveterans.SouthDakotaquicklyfollowedwiththefirstgeneralissuegraphicofMount

RushmoreNationalMonument.Today,alljurisdictionsusegraphicplate

design.Whenfirstintroduced,

graphicdesignplateswereviewedasattractiveandasamechanismtoenhan cetheimageofthe

jurisdiction.However,sincetheproliferationofgraphicplatedesi gns,lawenforcementisnolongerable

IntheU.S.andCanada,38jurisdictionsrequiretwoplates,while28requireonlyone.



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage8



toeasilyrecognizetheissuingjurisdiction.Thewidespreaduseofgraphicsandcolorsfrequentlymakes

legibilityoftheplatecharactersachallengeforlawenforcement.



ModernFeaturesandSecurity

Untilthe1990s,alloftheU.S.andCanada,andthemajorityoftherestoftheworld, producedlicense

plateswithraised(embossed)alpha/numericcharacters.Inthelate1990s,digitalprintingtechnology

wasintroducedresultinginflat,digitallyprintedlicenseplates.Today,almosthalfthestatesareusing

flatplates.





Asaresultofincreasingconcernwiththeuseofcounterfeitlicenseplatesusedtoperpetratecrimes,

securityfeatureswereaddedtothelicenseplate.Thesesecurityfeaturesallowforeasyrecognitionof

fraudulentplatesandprovidesonemoreobstacleforcriminalstoovercome.



Thefollowingfunctionsofalicense

platehavebeen,andcontinuetobe,themostimportantoverthe

pastcentury:

 Displayofinformationnecessaryforfastandaccurateidentificationofamotorvehicleinactual

trafficconditions

 Displayofinformation(includingthevalidationsticker)necessarytoshowcompliancewith

motorvehicleregistrationlawsbythe

ownerofthevehicle

 Provideanaddedmarginofvisibilityandsafetybymakingvehiclesmorevisiblethroughuseofa

brightreflectivesurfaceoftheplate



Morerecently,additionalfunctionsoflicenseplateshaveemergedto:

 Providerevenueforhighwayfunds,tollauthoritiesandsponsoringorgani zations(specialty

and

vanityplates)

 Provideawayforindividualstoexpresstheirpride,ortopromoteconservation,educationand

othercauses

 Provideaccesscontroltoparking,facilities,andgatedcom munities.



IntheU.S.,themajorityofstatesproduceplatesinastatecorrectionalfacilitywherelaborischeap,

whilethe

restoftheworldproducesplatesthroughprivatecommercialmanufacturers.



TheFutureofLicensePlates

Today’slicenseplatesheetingusesglassbeadtechnologythatisdecadesoldandlimitsproduct

performanceimprovementinitiatives.Glassbeadedsheetingcapabilitiesarebasedonspecifications

thatarerelatedtohowweviewhighwayandroadwaysigns.Inrecentdecades,highwayandroadway

reflectivesheetingtechnologyhasevolvedtomeetthe

needsofmotorists.Meanwhile,licenseplate

sheetinghasremainedunchanged.Withanunderstandingthatlicense platesarevieweddifferently

(especiallyatshorterdistances),thereisanopportunitytodevelopaproductthatoffersbettervisibility,

legibilityandaesthetics.



Inadditiontosheetingimprovements,therearenewprintingprocessesandmaterials

thatcanincrease

thereadabilityofthelicenseplate.Newinksforprintingbackgroundgraphicsandalphanumericscan



Section2–LicensePlateHistoryandBackgroundPage9



increasethecontrastbetweenthemandprovideimprovedreadabilityofthelicenseplate.New

machinereadablefeatures,suchastwo‐dimensionalbarcodes,canprovideahigherconfidencethan

alphanumericreadingonlyinanautomatedreadenvironment.Thecombinationofthenewmaterials,

alongwithmachinereadablefeatures,willaddanother

levelofimprovedlicenseplatereadability,both

humanandautomatedinthefuture.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage10



Section3

FundamentalsofAutomatedLicensePlate

Readers



Introduction

Thissectionprovidesanoverviewofautomatedlicenseplatereaders(ALPR),thelicenseplatereading

process,andkeychallengesinlicenseplatereadersystemsasthey relatetolicenseplatedesign.



Automatedlicenseplatereadersystemsareincreasinglybeingusedthroughouttheworld.Theterms

areinterchangeable,butthetechnologyis

generallyknownasLPR(licenseplatereaders),ALPR

(automatedlicenseplatereader)orANPR(automatednumberplatereader).



GrowthofthetechnologyintheUnitedStateshasbeensignificantinthelastfiveyearsandisprojected

togrowexponentiallyoverthenextfivetotenyears.Typicalapplicationsfor

licenseplatereader

technologybylawenforcement,motorvehicleadministrationsandotherentities,include,butarenot

limitedto:

 Recoveryofstolenvehicles

 AmberAlerts

 Openroadtolling(paybyplate)

 Congestioncharging

 Parkingenforcement

 Accesscontrol

 Trafficstudies

 Electronicvehicleregistration



Automaticspeedenforcement

 Assetrecovery

 Insurancefraud

 On‐streetparkingenforcement

 Travelorjourneytimecalculations

 Securitymonitoring 



AsthedemandforALPRsystemsexpandsinbothlawenforcementandcommercialapplications,ALPR

technologycontinuestoevolve.Itprovidescostefficientapproachesinvariedenvironments

that

includebothenvironmentalchallenges(e.g.,mobile‐basedplatforms,highspeedtraffic)andlicense

platechallenges(e.g.,introductionofnewdesigns,fonts,etc.acrossmultiplestates).



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage11



ThereadsfromALPRsystems,namelythelicenseplatenumberandinsomeapplicationsthelicense

platejurisdiction,areprimarilyusedasinputintodownstreamsystemstosupporttheintended

application.Forexample,inopenroadtollingsystems,thelicenseplatenumber/jurisdictionareusedto

supportthecollectionoftollrevenues,

whileinfederalandstatelawenforcementsystems,thelicense

platenumber/jurisdictionareusedtosupportlawenforcementqueriesagainstbothlarge‐scale(e.g.,

NationalCrimeInformationCenter)andlocaldatasources.Morefrequently,ALPRsystemresults,

generatedfromavarietyofapplications,areusedasevidenceincourtcases.



Inthemajorityofapplications,manualverificationand/orcertificationofALPRresultsisrequiredat

somepointintheprocess.TotheextentALPRsystemscanimproveandretainahighdegreeof

accuracy,operationalcostscanbereduced.Insomeapplications,ALPRsystemservicelevelobjectives

callfora

95percentaccuracyrateincorrectlyidentifyingboththelicenseplatenumberandjurisdiction

whenthelicenseplateiscompletelyvisibleinthelicenseplateimage.Themostsignificantchallengeto

maximizinglicenseplatereadrateaccuracyistheabilityoflicenseplatereadersystemvendorsto

quicklyadapttothe

introductionofjurisdictionallicenseplatedesignswithvaryingfonts,graphical

designs,stackedletters,etc.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage12



AutomatedLicensePlateReaderSystems

ALPRsystemsincludedepl oyment of fixed,portable,mobile,andhandheld platforms.



FixedPlatforms

FixedlicenseplatereadersystemsaredefinedasanyALPRsystemthatispermanentlymountedona

fixedinfrastructuresuchasoverheadgantries,roadsidebollardsand/orpoles,roadsidebuildings,etc.

ALPRfixedplatformsarecommonlyusedinopen

roadtolling,security,andinsomefederalandlocal

lawenforcementapplications.



 

FixedALPRinOpenRoadTolling  FixedALPRinCBPInbound



PortablePlatforms

PortableALPRsystemsaredefinedasanyALPRsystemthatcanbetransportedbetweenlocations,

assembled,operatedandthendisassembled. Oncedeployed,theyoperateasafixedplatform.

Examplesincludeportabletrailers,trafficbarrelsorotherplatformsconfiguredwith,orcontainingALPR

equipment.



 

PortableSpeedTrailerwithLPR  BorderPatrolTacticalTrailer



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage13



MobilePlatforms

MobilelicenseplatereadersystemsaredefinedasanyALPRsystemthatismountedonavehicle,

whetherapolicecar,towtruck,streetsweeper,parkingenforcementvehicle,etc.Thesesystemscan

includeonetofourcameraconfigurationsandaretypicallymountedontheroofortrunk,orthey

are

custommanufactured.



Typicalcomponentsofmobilesystemsincludecamerasthatobtainimagesoftheplateandvehicle

whichinturnarepassedtoaprocessormountedinthetrunk.Theprocessorlocatesthelicenseplatein

theimageandextractsthelicenseplatenumber.Itthencompare s thetextual

licenseplatereadagainst

selecteddatasourcesandsendstheoutputintheformofanalerttoamobiledataterminal(screen)

andanoperatorinthecab.Thealerttypicallycontainsthenameofthedatasourcetowhichtheimage

wascomparedsuchasanexpiredlicenseor

registrationsystem,aninfraredimageofthelicenseplate

andcoloroverviewimageofthevehicleinquestion.DatageneratedfrommobileALPRsystemscanalso

bestoredortransmittedviaabackofficesoftwareapplication.



 

RoofMountedALPR    TrunkMountedALPR



HandheldPlatforms

HandheldlicenseplatereaderplatformsaredefinedasALPRsystemsthatareheldandoperatedby

individualsusingdevicessuchasbarcodereaders,ruggedizedPDA,and/orsmartphonesthatprovide

othercapabilities(e.g.,communications,internetaccess).Thesetechnologiesprovidemobile ALPR

capabilitiesandrelyontheuserto

pointtheimagertowardsthelocationofthelicenseplate.



Useofthesedevicesislimitedtonoorlowspeedapplicationsandaresubjecttounique

challengessuchasshadows,lowambientlight,distance/angletothelicenseplate

surface,andnon‐reflectivesurfaces.Theselimitscanbeovercomeusing

techniquesto

suppressshadowsandenhancelowlightsituationsbymanagingwhitelightorinfrared

illuminatorsresidentinthedevice.Sinceinfraredimagersarenottypicallyavailableon

commercialgeneralpurposehandhelddevices,overcomingreadabilityofnon‐reflective

surfacesusingacolorimagergenerallyrequiresspecialOpticalCharacterRecognition

(OCR)techniques.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage14



Handheldplatformsareusefulbecausetheyareeasilydeployedandcanbeusedinparkinglots,parking

enforcement,covertapplications,portablecheckpoints,etc.Benefitsincludeportability,relativelylow

costandtacticaluse.OnemajordrawbackisthattheyarebatteryoperatedandtheiruseinALPR

activitydrainsbatteriesmuch

fasterthannormalusage.



ALPRCameraTechnology

Twoprimaryapproachesareusedtocaptureimagesfromwhichthelicenseplateinformationcanbe

extracted.Oneapproachistocaptureasinglestillimageofthelicenseplateatan“optimal”distance

fromthecamera,wheretheillumination,lenssettingsandfieldofviewcanallbecontrolledto

yieldthe

bestpossibleimagesunderanyambientlightingandweatherconditions. Anotherapproachisto

capturemultipleimagesasthevehicletravelsthroughthefieldofviewofthecamera.Inthisapproach,

nearinstantaneousadjustmentstotheflash,shutterandgainsettingsareperformedtooptimizethe

license

plateimagefordifferentenvironmentalconditions.



Monochrome(blackandwhite),color,andinfraredcamerasareemployedinvarioussolutions.

Monochromecamerastendtoyieldthebestresolution,canworkwithmosttypesofvisiblelight

illumination,andaregenerallylesscostly.Colorca merasareusefulwhenthecolorinformationcanbe



usedtoimprovetheseparationbetweencharactersandbackground,andforidentificationofthe

jurisdiction.Colorcamerasrequirewhitelightinordertoproduce accuratecolorinformationandareof

verylimitedvalueatnightwithouttheuseofadditionalillumination.



Infraredcamerasaretunedtorespondtoinfrared(IR)

illumination.Infraredcamerastendtobemost

sensitiveatnightandtendtobefittedwithaband‐passfilterdesignedtoblockvisiblelight(tolimitthe

effectofheadlightsandsunlight).ThistunedIRilluminationiseffectiveatreflectingoffthereflective

backgroundfinishoftheplate,andnot

reflectingoffthenon‐reflectivecharacters(orviceversa).



Additionalcamerasareoftenemployedaspartofthesolutionsothatbothaplateimageandavehicle

imagecanbesimultaneouslycapturedtoprovidecontextandforinvestigativepurposes.



LicensePlateRecognitionProcess

Thelicenseplaterecognitionprocessbegins

whenavehicleisdetectedbyanALPRsystemandends

whenALPRsysteminformationhasbeencollected,analyzed,andhandedofftobackendsystemsfor

furtherprocessing.



ThekeystepsoftheALPRprocessareto:

 Detectthevehicleand/orlicenseplate

 Locatethelicenseplateinthe

image(s)

 Extractlicenseplatecharactersfromthebackground

 Identifythelicenseplatenumber

 Determinethelicenseplatejurisdiction(optional)

 Hand‐offALPRresultstobackendsystems



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage15



ThefollowingparagraphsdescribeeachoftheALPRstepsindetail.



DetectingtheVehicleand/orLicensePlate

Externaltriggerssuchasthrough‐beaminfraredsensors,retro‐reflectivelicenseplatesensors,ground‐

basedinductionloops,laserrangesensors,etc.,canbeusedtodetectthepresenceofavehicleinthe

field

ofviewoftheALPRsystem.ThesetypesoftriggersareprimarilyusedinfixedplatformALPR

systems.Alternatively,theALPRsystemdetectsthepresenceofalicenseplatebyanalyzingthe

camera’svideosignal(whichmaycaptureupto30imagespersecond)andlookingforpotentiallicense

plate

candidates.ThistypeofdetectionisprimarilyusedinmobileplatformAL PRsystemsandcan

supportvehiclespeedsupto140mph.



Oncethevehicleisdetected,theALPRcapturesoneormoreimagescontainingthelicenseplatethat

willbeusedtosupportthesubsequentlicenseplatenumberandjurisdiction

determination.Inaddition,

vehicleand/orlicenseplatedetectionisusedtocorrelateotherinformationgatheredbythelice nse

platesystemsuchassceneimages,driverimages,timestamps,orothervehicle‐relatedinformationthat

canbedeterminedbytheALPRsystem.



LocatingtheLicensePlateintheImage

Onceone

ormoreimagescontainingalicenseplatearecaptured,a“licenseplatefinder”algorithmis

usedtodeterminetheexactlocationofthelicenseplateintheimage.Thismaybeaccomplishedby

searchingforlicenseplatecharacteristics(e.g.,high‐contrastobjects)and/orcharacterstringsinthe

imagethatindicate

thepresenceofalicenseplate.Thisprocessisoneofthemostdifficultstepsofthe

ALPRprocessasthelicenseplatemustbelocatedinpotentially‘noisy’imagesthatcontainother

informationthatmayappearaslicenseplates(e.g.,bumperstickers,otherwriting,contrastinggraphic

designs).Inaddition,the

typeandconditionofthelicenseplate(e.g.,retro‐reflective,non‐reflective,

licenseplateframesandcovers,licenseplateorientation)mayrequiretheuseofspeciallightingand

cameratechnologiestobothlocateandpresenttheoptimallicenseplateimagetothecharacter

recognitionalgorithms.



Asshowninthepicture

totheleft,ALPRcameras

canvaryflash,shutter,andgainsettingsto

capturemultipleimagespervehicleoverawide

rangeofambientandenvironmentalconditions.



Byvaryingcamerasettingsandcontrolling

illumination,theabilitytolocatealicenseplate

withinanimagecanbegreatlyimproved.In

addition,

the‘best’imagecanalsobeusedto

improvetheaccuracyofthesubsequentcharacter

extractionandlicenseplatenumber

determination.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage16



AnexampleofalicenseplatethathasbeenlocatedinthelargervehicleimagecapturedbyanALPRcamera.



ExtractingtheCharactersfromtheBackground(Segmentation)

Oncethelicenseplateisidentifiedintheimages(s),theregionaroundthelicenseplatemaybefurther

analyzedtoextractthecharactersfromthebackground.Inthefollowingexample,pixelscomprisingthe

candidateregionareseparatedintoforegroundandbackgroundpixelsto

provideamoresuitable

candidateimageusedbytheOCRalgorithmstotranslateacharacterstringimageintoanalphanumeric

valuethatconstitutesthelicenseplatenumber.Thisismademoredifficult whenthereislittlecontrast

betweenthelicenseplatenumberandtheplateback ground.



Thesegmentedorpre‐processedlicenseplateimageisthenpassedofftoOCRsoftwarewherethe

imagesareconvertedtoindividualalpha‐numericcharacters.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage17



DeterminingtheLicensePlateNumber

TheOCRengineconvertspre‐processedandsegmentedimagescontainingthelicenseplatenumberinto

analphanumericvaluethatcanbeusedbybackendprocessingsystems.



Duringtheprocess,eachalphanumericcharacteris extractedandfedthrougharecognitionengine

whose

jobistoidentifyeachcharacteronthelicenseplate.



Result:3KQG266

TheOCRsoftwarecanbefurthertunedandaugmentedtoaddressregionalandjurisdictionallicense

platevariancessuchasstackedcharactersanddifferingfonts.Inthefollowinglicenseplateexamples,

theascenderanddescenderoftheletter‘Q’takesondifferentcharacteristics thatmayrequire

specificallytunedOCR

enginesdependingontheregionorjurisdictioninwhichtheALPRsystemis

deployed.Thenumber‘4’inthefirsttwolicenseplatesbelowprovidesanotherexample.Notethatthe

imageprocessingandsegmenta tionstepsdescribedabovemustdiscerntheactuallicenseplatenumber

fromotheralphanumericinformationsuchasvehicle

registrationtabsandjurisdictionnamesandlogos.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage18













DeterminingtheLicensePlateJurisdiction

SomeALPRsystemsarecapableofidentifyingthejurisdictionoforiginofthelicenseplateby

recognizingkeyfeaturesontheplatesuchasthejurisdictionlogo,backgroundgraphics,specialsymbols,

uniquecharacterfontfeat ures,etc.Othertechniquesincludeapplyingsyntaxrules

andother

regionalizationrulestoprovideadditionalcluestodeterminethelicenseplatejurisdiction.



HandingOffLPRResults toBackendSystem

Oncethelicenseplatenumberand,insomecases,thejurisdiction,isdetermined,theinformationis

handedofftobackendsystemsinsupportoftheintendedALPRsystemapplication.These

systemsmay

comparethelicenseplatestowatchlistsorotherlawenforcementsystemstoallowinterdictionor

otheractionstooccurinnearreal‐time.Sometimestheseactionsarenotforinterdictionpurposesbut

merelytoallowvehiclestogainaccesstosecurelocations,parkinggarages,etc.



Insome

cases,theALPRdata‐alongwithsupplementaldatasuchassceneanddriverimages,vehicle

location,anddateandtimestamps‐arestoredinhighly‐scalableandsearchabledatasourcesto

supportintelligenceanalysis,billgeneration,orotherprocessesthatmayoccuratalaterdate.



ALPRsystemsareoftenconfigured

toautomaticallycommunicateortransmitallofthecollecteddatato

abackenddataarchive orserver.Communicationmethodscanincludeany conventionalnetworking

protocolsincludingcellular,WIFI,hardwire,thumb‐drive;allwithavarietyofsecurityprotocols.In

manycases,thiscommunicationprocessoccursinthebackgroundwithoutany

effortfromthesystem

user.



Oncethedataisinsertedintothebackenddatamanagementsoftware,itisimmediatelyavailablefor

reviewandsearch.Thesesystemsaregenerallyweb‐basedandcansupportnumerousworkstations

simultaneously.Oftenthesoftwaresolutionsusedtomanagedatasourcesallowsinformationtobe

queriedin

amultitudeofways;bylocation,time,platenumber,etc.



Inaddition,theimagecap turedandtheresultsgeneratedbytheALPRsystemcanbedigitallysigned

andencryptedtoenableathirdpartytoverifythatthedatawascollectedataspecifictimeandlocation



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage19



andthatnoonehastamperedwithit.Thisapproachalsoprovidesforachainofcustodyforlegal

evidencepurposes.



KeyChallengesofLicensePlateReading

CertainstepsoftheALPRprocesspresentuniquechallengesthatrequirecontinuous innovationsin

hardwareandsoftwaretechnologies.Akeychallengeistheconstantintroductionofnewandvaried

licenseplatedesignsthatgreatlyexpandsthetypesoflicenseplatesthatALP Rsystemsarerequiredto

process.Someofthosechallenges

andthecurrenttechniquesbeingappliedtoaddressthose

challengesincludethefollowing.



DetectingtheVehicleand/orLicensePlate

Challenge:ALPRsystemsoperateinoutdoorenvironmentssubjecttoconstantlychangingconditions

includinglighting,weather,varyingvehiclespeedandacquisitionangles,andvaryingdistancesfrom

cameras.



Techniques:ALPRcameralocations,

focalpoints,illuminationcontrols,andvehicledetectionsensors

arecarefullycontrolledtohelpensurethecaptureofoptimalimagesusedforsubsequentlicenseplate

locationandopticalcharacterrecognition.OftenALPRcamerasaresequencingilluminationlevelsor

acquisitionparameterstocounteracttheconstantlychangingconditionsinwhichtheyareoperating.



LocatingtheLicensePlateintheImage(s)

Challenge:Lowcontrastlicenseplates,licenseplateframesandcovers,othernoiseintheimage(e.g.,

bumperstickers)allimpacttheabilityoflicenseplatedetectionalgorithmstolocatethelicenseplatein

thelargerimagecapturedbytheALPRsystem.



LowcontrastlicenseplateTheeffectofalicenseplatecover



Techniques:Commerciallicenseplatereadersystemstypicallyuseanarrowbandofinfrared

illuminationtolighttheplatefordetectionpurposesinnearlyallweatherandlightingconditions.This

bandrangesfrom750nanometer(nm)whichhasavisiblebrightredglow,810nm,850nm,940nm,and

950nm.A950nminfrared

illuminationiscompletelyinvisibletothenakedeye. 



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage20





Thepurposeinusingseveralbandsofinfraredlightistofilterouttheeffectsofbackgroundgraphics

and/ortohighlightthealphanumericcharactersforOCRsoftwaresystems.Tohelpovercomegraphic

heavybackgrounds,aspectralanalysiscanbeperformedautomaticallyonaplate‐by‐platebasisto

determinewhich

IRilluminationisbestsuitedforeachplate,atthetimeitisreadbytheALPR.In

general,lowerIRbandssuchas750nmhandleheaviergraphicsandhigherIRbands oflight aremore

effectivewithlowerdensitygraphicbackgrounds.



ExtractingLicensePlateCharacters

Challenge:Licenseplateswith

noisybackgroundsandsymbols,andgraphicsth aten croachonthe

characterfieldspresentconditionsthatmakeitdifficulttorecognizespecificlicenseplatecharacters.







Thesebusyplatebackgroundsmaketheplatenumberdifficulttoread



Theseplatedesignscontainsymbolsandgraphicswhichencroachthelicenseplatenumbers

Technique:Toaddressthesechallenges,ALPRsystemscanusedifferentilluminationtechniquesto

improvethecontrastbetweencharactersandbackground.Also,specializedsegmentationalgorithms

areusedtosegmentthecharactersfromthebackground.



DeterminingtheLicensePlateNumber

Challenge:Poorlydesignedfontsandvariationsinfontsthemselves,additionalsymbols,half‐

height

characters,locationofregistrationstickers,licenseplateframesandcovers,andhologramson

characters,increasethecomplexityofOCRalgorithmsusedtodeterminethealphanumericcharacters

ofalicenseplate.



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage21









IntheALPRimageabove,theBcouldbereadasan8andtheQasanO.



Theseplatesdisplaysymbolsthatcannotbequeriedandareconsideredpartoftheofficiallicenseplatenumber.



Theseplatescontainhalf‐heightstackedcharacterswhichinsomecasesareconsideredpartoftheplatenumber,while

inothercases,theyarenot.



Thesetwoplates,fromthesamestate,areinconsistentintheplacementofregistrationstickers.Intheexampleontheright,

thestickerscouldbereadasacharacterbyanALPR.

Inthisexample,theRcouldbereadasan

A;andtheQasanO

Inthisexample,theJistootightandtheA

istoonarrow



Section3–FundamentalsofALPRsPage22









Whencharactersarelocatedtooclosetotheplate’sedge,licenseplateframescaneasilypreventtheplatenumberfrom

beingreadbyanALPR.







WhilenoU.S.orCanadianjurisdictioncurrentlyutilizesenscriptedfoil,theseplatespresentachallengeforALPRs.

Techniques:Inadditiontoilluminationandfilteringtechniquesdescribedabove,neuralnetwork

characteridentificationandhand‐writtenOCRsoftwaretechniquesareapplied.HandwrittenOCR

softwareisabit‐by‐bitdevelopmentefforttobuildanOCRsoftware“engine”tomatchtheuniqueness

ofajurisdiction’salphanumericcharacterset,whereas

neuralnetworkcharacteridentificationself

learnsplatecharactersthroughpatternanalysis.



DeterminingtheLicensePlateStateorProvince

Challenge:Lackofstandardizationforlogosandtheirlocationontheplate,aswellasinconsistentand

multiplealphanumerictemplate/patterns.



Examplesofinconsistentplacementofthestatename.



Techniques:Forrecognitionpurposes,eachuniquejurisdictionallogoistreatedasitsownstyleofplate

ortemplate.Recognitionsoftwarethencomparesallofthedifferenttemplatesinitsmemoryand

determineswhich“style”oflicenseplatebestmatchesthelicenseplateinquestion.Tobesuccessful,

thematchingalgorithm

hastoaccountforchangesinsize,rotationandillumination.



Section4–LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefitsPage23



Section 4

LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefits



Introduction

PriortotheintroductionofALPRtechnology,alawenforcementofficercouldrunaminimalnumberof

platespershift.ALPRtechnologyallowsanofficerto“read”morethaneighttimesthelicenseplates

thanofficersconductingonlymanualchecks.Moreover,byeliminatingthema nualcheckprocess,not

onlyisofficer

efficiencyincreased,butitallowsofficerstofocusmoreontheirsurroundings,which

improvesbothofficerandpublicsafety.



ArecentstudywasconductedbythePoliceExe cutive Researc hFor um(PERF)

2

andtheMesa,Arizona

PoliceDepartment.Thisstudy,fundedbytheNationalInstituteofJustice,spanneda48‐weekperiod.In

additiontoconcludingthatlicenseplatereadsincreasedinnumberbyafactorofmorethaneight,the

studyfurtherconcludedthathitsincreasedbyafactorofmore

thanfourandarrestsandstolenvehicle

recoveriesdoubled.



Whatthestudydidnot,andcouldnotreveal,isthenumberofhits“missed”becauseoflicenseplate

misreads.Astudyconductedbyonetollingauthorityestablishedamisreadrateof20%.Regardlessof

themisreadrateinaparticularjurisdiction,

thereisnorefutingthatmisreadsoccur.Andwhentheydo,

thepotentialformissinganopportunitytoarrestasuspectedcriminalorterroristortorecoverastolen

vehicleexists.



ALPRisoneofthemostsignificantadvancementsintechnologyandhasprovenbeneficialtolaw

enforcementandpublic

safety.ALPRtechnologyhastransformedthewaylawenforcementisableto

addresspublicandtrafficsafetyconcerns,andithassubstantiallyimprovedofficersafety.











2

CriticalIssuesinPolicingSeries:“HowAreInnovationsinTechnologyTransformingPolicing?”PoliceExecutive

ResearchForum,January2012.



Section4–LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefitsPage24



ChallengestoLawEnforcement

Inthepast,alawenforcementofficercouldbefamiliarwithallfiftystates’licenseplates.Today,with

theproliferationoflicenseplatedesigns,specialty,andvanityplates‐reachingintothehundredsin

somestates‐thenumberofplateshasincreasedfrom50tomorethan5,000intheUnitedStates,



makingitvirtuallyimpossibleforinstantvisualrecognitionfortoday’spoliceofficer.Theissueis

exacerbatedbytheintroductionofnewlicenseplatedesignseachyear.Inaddition,noveltyplatesthat

closelyresembleofficiallicenseplateshaveaddedtothedifficultylawenforcementcontendswithin

determiningplatevalidity.



Jurisdiction 2009 2012

Arizona 52 64

Louisiana 164 197

Maryland 800 935

Missouri 172 200

Montana 152 177

Pennsylvania 245 310

SouthCarolina 385 417

Texas 225 376

8statetotal 2,195 2,676

%Increasefrom2009to2012 22%



Theoneversustwolicenseplatedebatecontinues

TheInternationalAssociationofChiefsofPoliceestimatesthat70percentofallcrimesinvolvetheuse

ofamotorvehicle.Requiringavehicletohavebothafrontandrearlicenseplatedoublesthe

opportunityforanofficerorwitnessto

capturelicenseplateinformation.



Theabsenceofafrontplateonavehicleisalsoanissueforschoolbusdriverswhoreportdriverswho

failtostopforthebuseswhileloadingorunloadingstudents.Thesedriversoftenrelyonthepresence

ofafrontlicenseplatetobe

abletoreporttheviolation.



OfficerSafetyBenefits

Safetyisofparamountconcernforanylawenforcementofficerinitiatinga“routine”trafficstop.

OfficersinpatrolvehiclesthatarenotequippedwithALPRtechnologyarenotasinformedaboutthe

vehicleanditsoccupantsasthosewhohavethetechnology.



ALPRtechnologyprovidestheabilitytoautomaticallyandrapidly

checkthevehicleplatenumberagainst

selecteddatabases.Licenseplatesareoften“flagged”whentheownerisassociatedwithcertain

information(wantedparty,attempttolocate,beonthelookoutfor,amberalert,stolencar,etc.)With

ALPRtechnology,officersstoppingdriversforsometimes minortrafficoffensescanbemade

awareof

Asamplingofeightstates

illustratesthesignificantgrowth

inthenumberoflicenseplates

intheUnitedStatesinrecent

years



Section4–LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefitsPage25



thistypeofinformation,whichallowsthemtousetheappropriateofficersafetytacticsgiventhe

informationtheyhave,insteadofunknowinglywalkingintoadangerousencounter.



TrafficSafetyBenefits

Onesignificantexampleofatrafficsafetybenefitinvolvessuspendeddrivers.Thesedriversposea

significantthreattohighwaysafety.TheNewYorkDepartmentofMotorVehicles reportsthatin2011,

thereweremorethan1millionsuspendeddriversoperatingmotorvehiclesinNewYorkState.



Researchshowsthatsuspendeddrivers

aremorelikelytobeinvolvedinatrafficcrash.Suspended

driverstendtodrivemoreaggressivelyandcommitmoretypesofothertrafficinfractionsthandrivers

whoselicensesarenotsuspended.ALPRtechnologyhasthecapabilitytoquicklyidentifyvehicleswhose

registeredownerhasasuspendedorrevokedlicense

and/orregistration,makingitmuchfasterand

easierforlawenforcementofficerstodetectandapprehendillegaloperators,mitigatingthepublic

safetythreatontheroadways.



BenefitstoLawEnforcement–BeyondTrafficSafety

ALPR’sareattheforefrontofdiscussionsabouttheimpactoftechnologyimpactonimprovingtraffic

andpublicsafety.Thereisnoarguingthevalue ofautomatedlicenseplatereadertechnologyinthe

fieldofautotheftrecoveryandinvestigation.TheALPRisaforcemultiplierforofficersinthefield,



readingandcheckingthestatusofthousandsoflicenseplatesinasingleshift,allwhiletheinvestigator

isabletowatchhis/hersurroundingsfor activity,mal evolentorbenign.TheALPRisatirelesspartner,

constantlyonthewatchforstolenvehiclesandwantedsubjects,oramberalertsandmissing

persons.

ThistechnologyisallthemoreeffectivewhenthereisafrontandrearlicenseplatefortheALPRtoread.



WhatfollowsarejustafewofthedocumentedexamplesofhowALPRtechnologyhasbenefited law

enforcementintheperformanceoftheirpublicsafetymission:



 In

anOctober2010case,anALPRhelpedrecoveravehiclethatwasstoleninconnectionwitha

homicidecommittedinMontgomeryCounty,Maryland.



 In2011inWashingtonD.C.,theonlyleadinaseriesof

robberieswasthepartiallicensenumberofasilver

vehiclebelievedtobeinvolved.

TheALPRsystem

revealedseveralhitsonthatvehicleinaspecificarea.

ThankstoALPRtechnologysuspectswerearrestedfor

fiverobberies.



 Ina2011kidnappingcaseinMinneapolis,theMetroTransitPolice andtheFBIwerelookingfor

atanSuburbanwith“078”aspartofthe

licenseplate.AccordingtoMinneapolisPolice

DepartmentAssistantChiefHarteau,asearchonanALPRdatabaseidentifiedasuspectvehicle.



“Thankstothistechnology,wewere

abletocatchsuspectsforfive

robberies”–AssistantChiefAlfred

Durham,Washington,D.C.

PoliceDepartment



Section4–LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefitsPage26



 InanApril2,2011storypublishedintheNewYorkPost,aheroinaddictedbank

robberwasapprehendedwiththeuseofALPR.



InvestigativeUsesofALPRData

PoliceareincreasinglyfindingvalueinALPRdataforinvestigationsofmajorcrimes.Manyagencies

beganusingALPR’stolocatestolenvehicles,identifyexpiredregistrations,andotherroutine

operations.However,asagenciescollectmorerecordsandusethedatabasetoassistininvestigations,

AmberAlerts,andevencoldcases,itis

becomingmoreapparenthowpowerfulatoolALPRcanbe.

Whilethetechnologycan’tidentifythedriverofavehicle,ALPRdatacanplaceasuspect’scarinthe

vicinityofacrime,orbeusedtochallengeanalibi.SincetheALPRcapturesthedate,time,andlocation

of

eachplateitdetects,investigatorscanlearnagreatdealofinformationaboutaspecificvehicleof

interestinaninvestigation.



Forinstance,duringahomicideinvesti gationinLouisianadetectivesperformedasearchofthevictim’s

licenseplateagainstthesheriff’sdepartmentALPRrecords.Thesearchyieldedseveralinstancesofthe



vehiclepassingALPRcamerasmountedthrou ghouttheparish.Witnesseshadprovidedapartial

descriptionofasuspectvehicle,sodetectivesretrievedimagesofthevictim’svehicleandlo okedatthe

carsthatwerecapturedafterthevictimpassedtheALPRcameras.Theysoonfoundphotosofacar

matchingthe

suspectvehicleclosebehindthevictimonseveraloccasions.Investigatorswerethenable

toidentifytheentireplatenu mber,andthesubsequentinvestigationledtoadditionalevidenceandthe

arrestofasuspect.



PublicSafetyBenefit

ThenationwideAMBERAlertprogramwasgreatlyenhancedwiththeemergenceofALPRtechnology.

ALPRequippedvehicleshavetheabilitytoscanthousandsplatesanhourthusincreasingthechancesof

findingaparticularvehicleassociatedwithachildabductionmorerapidly.



ManypoliceagenciesuseALPRequippedvehiclestocollect

plateinformationastheyrespondtobank

robberiesandothermajorcrimestocaptureplatenumbersofvehiclesleavingtheareaaspolice

respondtothesceneofthecrime.



TheNewYorkPost

byJamieSchram

NEWYORK—Theheroin‐addictbankrobberwhobecameoneofthemost‐

wantedmeninNewYorkhadgrenadesinsidehisQueenshome,sourcesrevealed

yesterday.

MaratMikhaylichwascapturedaftertheNYPD'shigh‐techlicense‐platereaders,

alongwithsomeold

‐fashioneddetectiveworkledcopstohisstolengetawaycar,

thesourcessaid.



Section4–LawEnforcementandPublicSafetyBenefitsPage27



HomelandSecurityEnhancements

ALPRtechnologyhasalsobecomeanimportantnationalsecuritytool.ALPRtechnologyisutilizedto

querythelicenseplatenumbersofvehiclesenteringanddepartingtheUnitedStatestoidentify

potentialthreatstonational security.ALPRunitsareset‐upinlocationsinproximitytocritical

infrastructureto

identifypotentialthreats.Intworecentcounter‐terrorismcases,ALPRtechnologywas

usedtoidentifyvehiclesbeingusedbyindividualssuspectedofplottingterroristattacksagainstthe

UnitedStates.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage28

Section5

MobilityandRevenueLoss



Introduction

ThissectiondiscusseshowAutomatedLicensePlateReader(ALPR)systemsbenefitpublicmobilityinwaysthat

continuetoexpandasALPRtechnologyisdeployedinsupportofwide‐rangingpublicandprivateprojects.For

example,ALPRsystemsbenefittollcollectiononroadsandbridges,mitigatetheimpacttollcollectionhason



transportationefficiencyandtheenvironment,andhelpproviderevenueassuranceforhighwaylane

management,maintenanceandimprovement.



ALPRsystemsaredeployedbyCustomsandBorderProtectionalongtheU.S.borderswithCanadaandMexico

toimprovelawenforcementcapabilities ande nhancetravelermobilityacrossthoseborders.Inaddition,ALPR

systems

arebeingusedinapplicationsthatincludecommercialvehicleenforcement,parkingenforcement,time

measurementsystems,andhigh‐occupancytolllanes,tonameafew.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage29

MobilityandTollCollection

Collectionofuserfees,ortolls,hasservedasaprimarymeansoffundingkeytransportationprojectsforaslong

asroadshaveexisted.Tollsprovideadirectapproachtofundinghighwaysandbridgeswithoutincreasinglocal

orstatetaxes,andtheyensurethatthosewhobenefitthemostforprojects

payforthemdirectly.



Fortollroadstobeeffectivehowever,tollsmustactuallybecollected.Traditionallythishasinvolvedstaffata

gateorinaboothcollectingcashandmakingchangeatstrategicpointsalongtheroadway.Thisprocessstops

eachvehicleinthetrafficlanefora

briefperiod.Thecollectionsiteoftenbecomesachokepoint–especially

duringhighusageperiods‐slowingtrafficandreducingtheefficiencyofthecorridorwherecollectiontakes

place.



Somejurisdictionshavereplacedtollcollectorswithtechnologythatallowsforself‐payment,e.g.,transponders.

Thiscanstillslowtheapproachingvehicle.

Italsoresultsinthelossofthegatekeeper whorestrictsaccessto

onlythosepayingthetoll.Violatorsnotonlyreducethetraveltimebenefitsforqualifiedcarpoolersandtoll‐

payingtravelers,buttheyalsoerodepublicsupportandnegativelyimpacttollrevenues.



Whentollcollectionslowstraffic,the

reducedefficiencyisfeltinseveralways,mostnotablyslowingtraffic,

increasingcongestion,addingemissionsintotheenvironment,andincreasingthetimerequiredtomovepeople

andcommercialgoods.



Publicagenciesrespondtobottlenecksandinefficienciesbyengineeringchangestoroadwaystoimprovetraffic

flow.Thesechangestraditionallyinvolveaddedlanes

forcapacityaswellasanincreaseinthenumberoftoll

collectors.Theyareexpensiveandincreasetheoverheadassociatedwithtollcollectionandroadconstruction.

Theincreasedroadwaydemandandadditionalinfrastructureoftenresultsinincreasedtolls,sometimeswith

discountsduringoff‐peakperiods.



Businessesrespondtothe

bottleneckbyadjustingthenumberofdeliveriespertrip,changinginventorysystems,

andmovingworktooff‐peakhours.Individualdriversareoftenforcedtoreducetimeassociatedwith workand

family.Asdrivingtakesupalargerportionoftheirday,driversmaydevelopdangerous multi‐taskinghabits

involvingcell

phoneuse,texting,eating,etc.,thatendangersnotonlythemselves,butotherroadusers.Idling

intrafficisanexpensiveforbusinessesanddrivers.AreportbytheHinckleCharitableFoundationestimates

thatafiveminutereductionindailyidlingwouldsaveupto$83peryearinannualfuel

costsforavehicle.



Slower,inefficienttrafficisalsomorepolluting.Toxicemissionsfromidlingvehiclesareassociatedwithlocal

violationsofcleanairrulesthatrequireadditional offsettingofpublicandprivateexpenses.Canada’sOfficeof

EnergyEfficiencyestimatesthatsavingjustthreeminutesofidlingtimepervehiclein

thatcountrywouldreduce

CO2emissionsby1.4milliontonsannual ly;theequivalentofremoving320,000carsfromtheroadeachyear.



Today,asmotorvehicletransportationsolutionsorienttheirdesignstowardimprovedmobility,reduced

congestionandmorereliablelevelsofservice,theuseofvehiclelicenseplatesandALPR

technologieshas

increasedsubstantially.TheconundruminthisdevelopmentisthatasALPRtechnologiesimprovetomore

efficientlyautomatetheidentificationofvehiclesandtheirowners,licenseplatestakeonincreasinglyco mplex 

designsasdothedatasourceswhich su pporttheowneridentificationmodelsusedbyjurisdictions,whichworks

atcross

‐purposesagainstthegoalofaccurateplatereading.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage30

By2011,ALPRtechnologiesofvariousdesignswereinuseonthevastmajorityoftollroadsandmanagedlane

facilities.Theyalsoprovideacomponentofmanysafetyprograms.Withtollroads,ALPRtechnologiesand

licenseplateidentificationisusedforLicensePlateTolling(LPT)andtollevasionenforcement.Managed

lane

facilities–HighOccupancyVehicle(HOV)andHighOccupancy/Toll (HOT)‐useALPRtechnologiesforthesame

reasons.ButinsomecasesitisalsousedtoenforceHOVviolationsautomatically,withouttheneedofalaw

enforcementofficertovisuallydetectviolations.



Theseautomatedtollandlanemanagementprograms

areintendedtoimprovemobilityandtoenhancesafe

travelthroughoutNorthAmerica.Thetollindustryadvocatesforuser‐basedtransportationfundingin general.

ThereareseveralfacilitiesthatemployALPRtechnologiesthatrelyonlicenseplateinformationandthe

associatedregisteredownerinformationforthecollection oftollsandtoll

evasionenforcement.TheNorth

TexasTurnpikeAuthorityinDallas,Texas;Florida’sTurnpikeEnterpriseinOrlando,Florida;theMiami‐Dade

ExpresswayAuthorityinMiami,Florida;theE‐470PublicHighwayAuthorityinDenver,Colorado,andthe

WashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation’sStateRoute520Bridgeareagenciesthatrelyentirelyon

licenseplateinformationandALPRtechnologiestoaugmentautomaticvehicleidentificationsystemstoconduct

theirAll‐Electronictollcollectionandtollevasionenforcementoperations.



Managedlanes,commonlycalledHOTorHOVlanes‐areintendedtolessencongestionandprovidegreater

mobilityintheadjacentge neralpurposelanesofstatehighwaysor

interstatehighwayslocatedinurbanareas.

JustafewexamplesofmanagedlanefacilitiesthatemploylicenseplateinformationandALPRtechnologiesfor

theiroperationsincludetheHoustonTexasMetroHOTLaneCorridors;theColoradoDepartmentof

Transportation’s(CDOT)HighPerformanceTransportationEnterprise’sI‐25Expresslanes;andtheGeorgia

State

TollRoadAuthority’s(SRTA)I‐85HOTlanes;andthenation’snewestandmostprominentHOTlaneprojecton

theWashington,DCCapitalBeltway‐theI‐495Expresslanes.



RevenueLoss

Poorlydesignedlicenseplates,environmentalcondi tionsandpurposefulavoidancetoregisterandtitlevehicles

arethemostsignificantcontributorstorevenuelosseswithindepartmentsofmotorvehicles,tollauthorities,

andparkingfacilitiesusingALPRsystems.Betterlicenseplatedesignandmanufactureshouldimprovethe

effectivenessofALPRsandsubsequentlyincreasetoll

collections.



Poorlydesignedlicenseplates,environmentalcondi tionsandpurposefulavoidancetoregisterandtitlevehicles

aresignificantcontributorstorevenuelosswithindepartmentsofmotor vehicles,tollauthorities,andparking

facilitiesusingALPRtechnologies.



LostrevenueattheE‐470PublicHighwayAuthorityinColoradoduringtheyears2009‐2011

isusedhereasan

example.E‐470usednewlydesigneddigitalcamerasoperatinginthe

visibleandinfraredlightspectrumsduringallambientlightconditions.

Capturedvehicleandlicenseplateimageswerealsoevaluatedwithan

opticalcharacterrecognition(OCR)enginemanuallysetata70

percentconfidencelevel.Image

reviewprocessesinvolvedasecond

reviewbyahumantoconfirmautomatedeffortsoftheOCRengineto

accuratelyidentifytheplatenumber.

Losttollrevenuesamountedto

$2.9millionin2009;$3.9million

in2010;and$3.7millionin2011



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage31

Anexampleofimagequalityfollows.



Oncethedataisread,itisthencomparedtoDMVrecordssforregisteredownerinformation.Whentheplate

andvehicleinformationdonotmatchanexistingRFIDaccount,atollstatementrequestingpaymentissentto

theregisteredowner.



Thefollowingtableprovidesexamplesofimagerejectreasons.Each

rejectrepresentslostrevenue.Inthe

examplethatfollows,overathreeyearperiod,anaverageof7.52%ofcollectablerevenuewaslost.



2009 2010 2011

Total Image Transactions 14,595,550 21,316,784 21,698,673

Reject Reason Total % Total % Total %

Plate obstructed 77,781 .53% 69,664 .33% 69,627 .32%

No plate 237,694 1.63% 312,908 1.47% 343,483 1.58%

Tampered plate (bent, covered w/plastic) 10,168 .07% 16,122 .08% 17,549 .08%

No DMV record 51,301 .35% 182,168 .85% 182,926 .84%

No matching record found in DMV lookup 94,618 .65% 169,681 .80% 121,611 .56%

State not idenfiable 64,902 .44% 26,346 .12% 16,965 .08%

Visible temp or car dealer plate 341,339 2.34% 771,257 3.62% 735,464 3.39%

Out of state DMV reject 289,732 1.99% 9,582 .04% 194 .00%

Unenforceable totals 1,189,456 8.15% 1,581,720 7.45% 1,511,441 6.97%



Thelosttollrevenueestimatewasfoundbyusinganaveragetollrateof$2.50pertransactionwas$2.9million

in2009,$3.9millionin2010,and$3.7millionin2011.Easilyidentifiablelicenseplatescanmitigatelostrevenue

inthetransportationindustryaswellasotherbusinessesandenforcementmodels

thatutilizeimageryand

licenseplateinformationasthecoreoftheirrevenueenforcementefforts.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage32

PotentialRevenueGain(VehicleMilesTraveled(VMT)Calculating)

Asvehiclesareengineeredtoprovidegreaterefficienciesandwiththegrowthofpopularityofhybridorelectric

vehicles,theuseofgasolineandtheassociatedgastaxrevenuesfromtheuseofgasolinewillcontinueto

decline.Astraditionaltransportationfundingthroughgasolinetaxrevenuesdwindle,otherformsoffunding

are

beingevaluatedthroughpilotprogramsandstudies.

WhilethedecisiontoenactVMTwillbethesubjectofstateandnationalpolicydiscussionsoverthenextseveral

years,theengineeringofthesystemsandtechnologiesusedtoimplementthisuser‐basedfundingmechanismis

alreadywellunderway.



BenefitsofALPRsforGeneralMobility

Licenseplaterecognition,advancedelectronictollreadersandtransponders,andvehicleoccupancydetection

areallbeingusedasameanstoenforcetollsandvehicleoccupancyrestrictions.Theyalsohelptoeliminatethe

bottleneckcreatedbytraditionalenforcementmethods.



Improvedtrafficflowreducestheloadonroadways,increaseslanethroughput,and

simplifiesengineering.This

makesroadwaydevelopmentandmaintenancelessexpensive.Businessescanfocuslessonovercomingthe

adversitycreatedbyinefficienttrafficmovement,andmoreoninvestinginimprovement.Individualdriverscan

focusonthesingulartaskofoperatingavehiclesafely.Bothgroups benefitenormouslyfromthecostsavings

associatedwithreducedidlingandhigherspeeds.Reducedpollutionbe nefitsallofsocietyinnumerousways,

fromimprovedhealthtoreducedcostinmitigationstrategiesthatcounteractpollution.



AgenciesutilizingALPRsystemsmust re cognizeandplanforthefactthatitisdifficultforALPRstoaccurately

read100%oflicense

plates.ALPR’sdohowever,offertremendousbenefitsin efficienciesandcostsavings.In

ordertoplayanenforcementrolewhileallowingtraffictoflowwithnobottleneck,ALPRsystemsmustideally

containtheopticsandcomputingpowertoreadlicenseplatesanddealwithavarietyofchallenges,including:



broken,bentordirtyplates

 headlightglare

 retro‐reflectivityvariances

 variedlicenseplatedesignandcolor

 poorambientlighting

 licenseplateframesand/orcoversorotherwiseobscuredplates



MobilityatUnitedStatesBorderswithCanada&Mexico

AllvehiclesandpersonsenteringtheUnitedStatesaresubjecttoinspection.Customs&BorderProtection

(CBP)takesthismandateseriously.Everyvehicleandeverypersonenteringatalandborderportmustbe

queriedthroughvariouslawenforcementdatabasesbeforetheyareallowedtoentertheU.S.Althoughthe

inspection

processencompassesmorethanjustqueries,eachquerytakestimetoperformandtimeisafactorin

vehiclewaittimes,whichatsomemajorportshaveinthepast,beenanhourormore.CBP,throughthe

WesternHemisphereTravelInitiative(WHTI),hasinstalledtechnologyatmostportsof

entrywhichautomate

manyfunctionspreviouslydonemanually.Thisautomationhasresultedinreducedvehicleinspectiontimes

whilemaintainingtheintegrityoftheinspectionprocess.



CBPbalancestravelerfacilitationandenforcement,andstrivestorequiretravelersspendaslittletimeaspossible

waitingattheborder.Theydosowhilemaintaining

highlevelsofenforcementagainstterrorists,weapons,illegal

aliens,narcoticsandothercontraband.RadioFrequencyIdentification(RFID)technology,improvedALPRsandthe



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage33

VehiclePrimaryClientapplicationremainkeyinfacilitatingtravel.Thesetoolsallowtravelerinformationtobepre‐

positionedforofficersandautomatically queriedthroughlawenf orcementdatabasesasthevehicleapproachesthe

primaryinspectionpoint.WHTIincreasesthesecurityofU.S.landbordersbyrequiringtravelerstopresentoneofa



limitednumberofdesignatedsecurely‐issuedtraveldocuments,whichcanbeverifiedelectronicallyinreal‐time,to

establishidentityandcitizenship.



BenefitsofALPRstoCBP

Approximately130millionvehiclesentertheU.S.atlandbordersannually.Conservatively,ittakesanofficerat

least10secondstoquerya vehiclelicenseplatemanually.Toavoidoverstatementoftimesavings10secondsis

usedastheaveragetimesavedforeachsuccessfulautomatedlicenseplatequery.Ifall

platequerieswere

completedmanually,officerswouldspendmorethan361,110hoursperyearperformingthistask.



CBPhasusedALPRsatthelandborderssince1998.Beginningin2008,WHTIhasreplacedalloriginalinboundALPRs

withimprovedversionsthatachieveatleast5%improvedreadabilityovertheolder

versions,whichreadallplates

(readableandunreadable)atnobetterthan85%.TheoldALPRssavedofficersabout305,000hoursperyearby

automatingplatequeries.ThenewWHTIALPRssaveabout325,000hoursperyear.Thismeansthatnationally

travelersspend20,000fewerhourswaitinginlineasa

resultofimprovementsbroughtaboutbytheWHTIALPRs.



CBPconstantlystrivestoincrementallyimproveALPRperformancethroughastrongmaintenanceprogramandon‐

goingALPRperformancereviews.Thereviewsverifythatthereadersare95%accurateandidentifyissuesor

patternsthatcanbecorrectedtoimproveperformance.The

timesavingsfromALPRstranslatesintolesswasted

time–andgreatermobility–fortravelersenteringtheU.S.atlandportsofentry.BuildingonthesuccessofWHTI,

CBPisoptimizinginboundoperations andleveragi ngWHTItechnologies,especiallyALPRs,andprocess

improvementsforoutboundtrafficandBorderPatrolcheckpoint

operations.



Keyaccomplishmentsthat,alongwithALPRs,haveincreasedCBP’sabilitytoexpeditethelegitimateflowoftraffic

acrossU.S.bordersinclude:

 Reducedinspectionprocesstime:Today,theoverallthroughputimprovementis20percentatallReadyLane

locations.

 Technologyinfusion:Today,ALPRtechnologyisbeingdeployed

toselectedvehicleoutboundlanesonthe

SouthwestbordertoassistinlimitingtheflowofcashandweaponsintoMexico.



CBPcontinuestodeploythenecessaryresourcesandinnovativesolutionstosecure,protect,andfacilitateour

borders.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage34

OtherALPRApplicationsthatBenefitMobility



CommercialVehicleEnforcement(CVE)

CommercialVehicleEnforcemententitieshaveusedlicenseplaterecognitionintheUnitedStatesandCanada

forthelast10years.SeveralspecializedcompanieshaveemergedthatutilizeALPR’storeadlicenseplatesand

comparetheplatenumbertoFederalsafety

datasourcestoensuretrucksareincompliance

withfederaland

statemotorcarriersafety

programs.Inaddition,ALPR’scanbe

integratedwiththermalimagingtechnologyto

identifybrakewearissues,andtheycanbe

integratedwithWeigh‐in‐Motion(WIM)scales

toidentifyunsafeloadingandstabilityissues.

TheWashingtonDepartmentofTransportation,

throughafederalgrantandincooperation

with

enforcementbytheWashingtonStatePatrol,

implementedahighlysuccessfulinstallationof

thistechnology,whichiscurrentlybeing

expandedforstate‐wideuse.



MunicipalParkingEnforcement

On‐streetparkingenforcementthroughtheuseofALPRtechnologyhasbee nusedeffectivelyforover10years

aswell.Withthesesystems,parkingscofflawswhofailtopaytheirparkingcitations and/orfinesareplacedina

datasourcethatisdownloadedtoanALPR‐equippedvehicle.TheALPRquickly

identifiesthosewhohavefa iled

topaywhichallowmunicipalitiestobootvehiclesensuringparkingrevenuesarerecaptured.

Ina30‐daytrialusingoneALPR‐equippedvehicle,theLongBeachPoliceDepartmentinsouthernCalifornia

identifiednearly300scofflawswhohadfiveormoreunpaidparkingcitations.Theycaptured

nearly$200,000in

unpaidfines.Inaddition,sevenarrestsweremadethatwerenotassociatedwithaparkingcitation.



ALPRtechnologyisquicklyemergingasabeneficialtoolinthe

maintenanceofstreets.Mountedtoastreetsweeper,anALPR

canaidinthedetectionofvehiclespark edin zonesthat

prohibit

parkingduringsweepingoperations.Thetechnologycanspeed

upandaugmentthecitationprocessduringsuchoperations.



TravelTime/JourneyTimeMeasurementSystems

TravelTimeMeasurementSystems(TTMS/ JTMS)thatuse

licenseplaterecognitiontechnologyha veemergedinthe

UnitedStateswithinthelastfiveyears.TTMSmeasureslicense

platesobservedatentrancepointsonroadwayswhereALPR

camerasaremountedandthenatexitpointstodeterminethe

averagetraveltimeand

speedofthatroadsegment.The

generateddatacanbeuploadedtostateorlocalwebsitesor

variablemessagesignsforthebenefitofthetravelingpublic.Inaddition,thisdatacanprovidevehiclecounts

basedontimeofdayalongwithspeeddataforinternalorexternaluseat

DepartmentsofTransportation.

ALPRcamerainuseataroadsidetruckscale

ALPRcamerasmountedontopofastreetsweeper

aidinstreetmaintenance.



Section5–MobilityandRevenueLossPage35



BusLaneEnforcement

ALPRisemergingaskeytechnologyfortheenforcementofdesignatedmunicipalbuslanesinmetropolitan

areasallovertheworld.ALPRcamerasmonitorpassengerorcommercialvehiclesthatunlawfullyaccessor

transitionthroughbuslanesduringpeaktraffictimesorwhendesignatedbyspecial

signage.Violationsare

manuallyreviewedandsubmittedforcitationbyalawenforcementagencyresponsibleforthatparticular

jurisdiction.NewYorkCityiscurrentlyintheprocessofprocuringandimplementingthistechnologytoensure

reliableandunobstructedpublictransp ortation.



HighOccupancyToll(HOT)Lanes

HighOccupancyTollLanesare

alsoarecentapplicationintheuseofALPRTechnology.Thisapplicationallows

formotoristtopayfortherighttousecarpoollanesbyregisteringtheirplates,forafee,withlocaljurisdictions.

ALPRcamerasmonitorthelanesand providealertnotificationtolawenforcementifaplatenot

aregisteredtoll

userisidentifiedintheHOTlane.

SampledatafromaTTMS/JTMSsystemAvariablemessagesignindicatingtraveltime

s



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage36

Section6

BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesign&

Manufacture



Introduction

Thepurposeofthissectionistoidentifybestpracticesinlicenseplatedesign,manufactureandissuancetoaid

jurisdictionsincreatingandissuinglicenseplatesbestsuitedtovehicleidentification.Thelackofnational

standardsregardingthedesignandmanufacturi ngoflicenseplateslimitstheeff ectivenessofALPRtechnology

meant

toassistinimprovinghighwayandpublicsafety.



Licenseplatesserveacommonpurposeacrossjurisdictions.Theyshouldalsosharecommoncharacteristics

thatallowreadability,usability,andconnectionstovehicleregistrationrecords.



Thescopeoftheserecommendationsislimitedtothephysicalcharacteristicsoflicenseplates,theinformation

displayedon

plates,andtheplacementoflicenseplatesonmotorvehiclesandtrailers.Rulesonissues

peripheraltotheseconcerns,suchasplateassignment(platewithowner),personalization,ormanufacturing

sitesareoutsidethescopeofthisdocument.



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage37

Background

Vehiclesroutinelymoveacrossjurisdictions.Asaresult,licenseplatesarecommonlyviewedbybothcivilians

andlawenforcementwhomustquicklysiftthroughunfamiliarelementstoidentifythenumberandoriginating

jurisdiction.Inaddition,ALPRsmustbeconfiguredtocaptureinformationfromlicenseplatesissuedalloverthe

continent.



Theultimateobjectiveofissuingtheseguidelinesistorecommenduniformityinthedesignandmanufactureof

licenseplatesthatbettere nables governmentofficialsandotherentitieswithanoperationalneedtoread

licenseplates.



Scope

Licenseplatesserveacommonpurposeacrossjurisdictions.Theyshouldalsosharecommoncharacteristics

that

allowreadability,usability,andconnectionstovehicleregistrationrecords.Registrationprogramsmust

adheretobasicuniformguidelinesrecognizingthattheirproductswillbedisplayedinmultiplejurisdictions.



LicensePlateDisplay

Licenseplatesmustappearinconsistentlypredictablelocationsonvehiclestoensurethatpeopleandsystems

canquicklylocatethe

licenseplateandcapturetheinformationcontainedontheplate. Therefore,thenumber

ofplatesissuedtoavehicleandtheplacementofplatesonthevehicleshouldbeassimilaraspossibleacross

jurisdictions.



NumberofLicensePlates

Itisrecommendedthattwolicenseplatesbeissuedforallpassenger

typevehiclesandsingleunittrucks.Larger

trucksthatcommonlyserv easpowerunitsand motorcyclesshouldbeissuedasinglelicenseplate.Trailers

shouldbeissuedasinglelicenseplate.



Bothfrontandbackplatesarecommonmeansforreportingvehiclesinmotionorapproachedfromthefrontor

rearwhileparked.Inaddition,studieshaveconsistentlydemonstratedthatfrontlicenseplatesimprove

identificationofvehiclesincriticalsituationseitherthrougheyewitnesses,electronicreaders,orcameras.

Systemsdesignedtocapturefrontandrearlicenseplatesalsodeliverhigherlevelsofaccuracy.Itis

recommendedthatfrontandrearlicenseplates

bepresentonallvehiclestotheextentpractical.Itis

understoodthatsomejurisdictionsmaynotimmediatelyhavethefundingtoissuetwoplatesiftheycurrently

issueonlyoneplate.



PlacementofLicensePlates

Whenasinglelicenseplateisissued,itisrecommendedthatitbedisplayed

ontherearofthevehicleinthe

locationdesignatedforthatpurposebythevehiclemanufacturer,exceptthatpowerunitplatesshouldbe

requiredtobedisplayedonthefrontofthevehicle.Singleplatesformotorcyclesandtrailersshouldbe

requiredtobedisplayedontherearofthe

vehicleinthelocationdesignated.



Whentwolicenseplatesareissued,itisrecommendedtheybedisplayedonthefrontandrearofthevehiclein

thelocationsdesignatedforthatpurposebythevehiclemanufacturer.



Alllicenseplatesshouldberequiredtobedisplayedhorizontallysothattheyare

easilyreadfromlefttoright.



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage38

Itisrecommendedthatlicenseplateframesand/orcoversbeprohibitedfrominterferingwithreadabilityofthe

licenseplatenumber,thenameoftheissuingjurisdiction,and/orregistrationsticker(s).



ObservablePlateCharacteristics

Whilelicenseplatesareuniquetoeachjurisdictionandvehicle,itisrecommendedtheyalsobesufficiently

similarto

eachotherthattheycanbeinstantlyrecognizableaslicenseplates.Withoutsuchanexpectation,it

wouldbedifficulttorecognizea plateasanofficialgovernment‐issuedidentifierandnotsimplyasign,

advertisement,orprivatereferencenumber.Asaresult,alllicenseplatesmustsharecertainobservable

characteristics.



Ifajurisdictionallowsindividualstoplacenoveltyordecorativeplatesonthefrontofthevehicle,theplate

shouldnotcontaindesigns,numbersorlettersinaformatsimilartoanofficialplateissuedbyanyjurisdiction.



Retro‐reflectiveSurfacesforVisibility

Toprovideameasureofacceptableidentification,

itisrecommendedthatlicenseplatescontainaretro

reflectivesurfaceandbereadableinbothdaylightanddarknessfromdistancesof75feet.Aretro‐reflective

surfacereflectslightbacktoitssourcewithaminimumscatteringoflight.Thisprovidesilluminationwithout

distortionwhenviewedunderheadlights.Sincelicense

platescommonlyloseover50%oftheirinitial

reflectivitywithin10years,theyshouldbereplacedperiodicallyinordertomaintainacceptablelevelsofretro‐

reflectivity.



LicensePlateDimensions

Placinglicenseplatesinconsistentlocationsonavehicleiseasieriftheplatesareconsistentinsize.Motor

vehiclemanufacturers

providemountingsurfacesforlicenseplatesthatmeetexistingSocietyofAutomotive

Engineers(SAE)andAAMVAstandards.



Licenseplatesforpassengervehicles,trucks,andtrailersshouldbeapproximately12inchesinhorizontallength

andsix(6)inchesinverticalheight.



Licenseplatesformotorcyclesshouldbeapproximatelyseven(7)inchesin

horizontallengthandfour(4)inches

inverticalheight.



Additionalormultiplesizelicenseplatesshouldbediscouraged.



CharacterSizing

Itisrecommendedthatlicenseplatecharactersbereadableataveragetrailingdistancesandnotsocrowded

thattheycannotbedifferentiatedfromeachotherwhenread.Charactersatleast

2.5inchesinheightand

proportionallywide,spaced.25inchesapartwillprovidesufficientreadabilityat75feet.



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage39

AlphanumericCharacters

Licenseplateconfigurationsareusedtoqueryregistrationsystems.Itisrecommendedthattheconfigurationof

alicenseplatebelimitedtoalphanumericcharacters.Non‐alphanumericcharactersthatappearonalicense

plateshouldnotbepartoftheconfiguration,norshouldgraphicdesigns.



Itisrecommendedthat

jurisdictionsselectinkpigmentsforalphanumericcharactersthatallowforhigh‐contrast

recognitionforinfraredandvisiblelightilluminationtothehumaneye.Inkpigmentsshouldbetestedin both

daylightandnighttimeconditions.Inksshouldbeopaque.Somestatesusetranslucentinksthatallowlightto

reflectoffthe

backgroundretro‐reflectivematerial,renderingthecharactersnearly invisibletoALPRsystems.

Thisallowsforbetterandmoreaccuratecharactercapturerelativetobackgroundgraphics.Itlowersacquisition

coststoend‐usersbyallowingALPRvendorstouseaconsisten tilluminationstandard.



SpecialCharacters

Itisrecommendedthatnonalphanumericcharacters

suchashearts,ampersands,dashes,etc.notbepartofthe

licenseplatenumber,evenwhensuchcharactersareavailableonstandardkeyboards.



StackedCharacters

Wherestackedandhalf‐heightcharactersareused,itisrecommendedtheybepartoftheofficialplatenumber.

Whereonecharacterappearsaboveanother,

thetopcharactershouldbeenteredfirst,immediatelyfollowed

bythebottomcharacter,insequence,withtheothercharactersontheplate.



Stackedcharactersshouldbevertical–notstaggeredorslanted–andnolessthanhalfsizeofregularplate

characterstoensurereadability.Nomorethantwo(2)

charactersshouldbestacked.



Fonts

Itisrecommendedthatthesizeofthealphanumericontheplatebemaximizedtoprovidethebestlegibility.

Thefontandspacingshouldpresenteachalphanumericasadistinctandidentifiablecharacter.Standardized

fontsandfontsizesthatclearlydistinguishalphasandnumericsshould

beused.Forexample,similarcharacters

likeAandR,8andB,and0(zero),OandQshouldbeeasilydistinguishable fromeachother.Standardizedfonts

andfontsizesallowsforbetterOCRaccuracyamongvendorsandlowersALPRacquisitioncoststoendusers.It

alsoprovidesimprovedreadability

andgreaterconfidence.



UniqueLicensePlateNumbers

Itisrecommendedthatlicenseplatenumbersbeuniquetoeachvehicleandnotberepeatedunlessfirst

invalidatedorpurgedfromthejurisdiction’sregistrationsystem(e.g.,platenumberABC123shouldnotbeused

onmultipleplatesregardlessoftheplatetype

orspecialcharacters).Thisallowsaccurateretrievalofvehicle

registrationinformationwithouthavingtoinputadditional dataelementsorreviewmultiplerecordsto

determinetheappropriaterecord.



Alphanumericimagesshouldbemorecenteredwithintheplateandawayfromboltholesandwherelicense

plateframesmightencroach.Thiskeepscharacters

awayfromplateframesandboltholeswhichcancause

ALPRsystemstomisread.



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage40

Jurisdiction/CountryofOrigin

Itisrecommendedthatthestateorprovinceoforiginbereadableandappearinthetopcenterlocationofthe

licenseplatesoitisquicklydiscernible. Thefullstatenameshouldappeartoavoidconfusionbetweenstates

withsimilarpostalabbreviations.Missourihastakenthelead

inpassinglegislationthatsaysonlyMissouri

schoolsmaybefeaturedonMissourilicenseplates.



Onlytheissuingjurisdiction’snameshouldappearonlicenseplates.Thisincludesdesignsandlogosfor

out‐of‐jurisdictionuniversitiesororganizations.



GraphicsandLogos

Placementanduseofstate/provincelogosandgraphicsshouldbeuniformtoprovideimprovedjurisdiction 

identification.



Embossedvs.FlatPlates

BothembossedandflatlicenseplatedesignsareeasilyreadybyALPRtechnology.



ExpirationofRegistration

Itisrecommendedthatthedateofregistrationexpirationbedisplayed

bymeansofaretro‐reflectivevalidating

stickerontherearlicenseplate.Secondarydecalsdo notneedtoberetro‐reflectiveandmaybeplacedonthe

windshieldforjurisdictionsthathavemultipleusesforthesticker s.



Thejurisdictionshouldrequireregistrationstickersbeplacedinaconsistentareawhile

ensuringtheydonot

obscureanypartofthelicenseplatenumber.



Jurisdictionsareurgedtocolorcodeannualregistrationstickersallowinglawenforcementtoeasilydetermine

theexpirationyearwithoutactuallyreadingtheexpirationyearormonth.



SecurityFeatures

Securityfeaturesmakelicenseplatesdifficulttocounterfeitandshould

beemployed.Thesefeaturesshouldbe

difficulttoduplicate,beanintegralpartofthelicenseplate,bevisiblefromadistanceandnotinterferewith

platemessagelegibility.Featuressuchasbarcodesandembeddedidentifiersthatarevisibleuseinfrared

and/orvisiblelightcouldassistincounterfeitdetection.Holograms

and‘invisible’imagesseenonlythrough

infraredlightmaybeusedbyALPRsinthefuturetoassistinlicenseplaterecognition.



Section6–BestPracticesforLicensePlateDesignandManufacturerPage41

LawEnforcementandOtherStakeho lderConsultation

Itisrecommendedthatmotorvehicleagenciesconsultwiththejurisdictional, andifapplicablelocallaw

enforcementrepresentatives,priortoadoptinganewlicenseplatestandardordesign.Thisensuresthat

standardsforreadabilityandimagecapturearemaintainedwithaneyeonpublicsafety

andcrimeprevention.

Otherstakeholdersshouldbeconsultedasappropriate.Jurisdictionslocatedoninternationalbordersshould

considerconsultingwithCustomsandBorderProtectionand/ortheCanadaBorderServicesAgency.



AppendixA–ALPRWorkingGroupMemberListPage42

A

ppendixA

ALPRWorkingGroupMemberList

WorkingGroupChair

LieutenantColonelThomasM.Fresenius

NewYorkStatePolice

OfficeofCounterTerrorism

T:518‐457‐9579

[email protected]





DMVRepresentatives



ChristinaFlores

PublicInformationOfficer

TexasDepartmentofTransportation

4000JacksonDriveAustin,TX78731

T:512‐302‐2076

[email protected]



KristinaHargis

Director,OfficeofVehicleandMotorCarrierServices

IowaDepartmentofTransportation

POBox9278

DesMoines,IA50306‐9278

T:515‐237‐3040

[email protected]





AndrewConway

Chief,RegistrationPolicy&Automation

2415FirstAvenue

MSD303

Sacramento,CA95818

T:916‐657‐6259

[email protected]



IACPRepresentative



MikeFergus

ProgramManager

InternationalAssociationofChiefsofPolice

515NorthWashingtonStreet

Alexandria,VA22314‐2357

T:703‐836‐6767,Ext811

[email protected]





LawEnforcementRepresentatives



LieutenantPaulO’Keefe

AuroraPoliceDepartment

InvestigativeSupportSection

T:303‐739‐1702

[email protected]



CaptainDaleStockton,retired

CarlsbadPoliceDepartment

LPRProjectManager‐ARJIS

T:760‐685‐0292cell

[email protected]



TollAuthoritiesRepresentative



DaveKristick

DirectorofOperations,E‐470PublicHighwayAuthority

22470E6thParkway,Aurora,CO80018

T:303.537.3702

C:303.210.5033

dkristi@e‐470.com





CustomsandBorderProtectionRepresentatives



GeorgeSt.Clair

ProgramSupport/LBI

OfficeofFieldOperations

T:267‐324‐5377

[email protected]





ColleenManaher

Director,LandBorderIntegration

US‐VISITTransition

DHS/CBP/OFO

T:202‐344‐3003

[email protected]



TechnicalAdvisors



IvanBlackman

Manager

NationalInformationCrimeBureau(NICB)

VehicleInformationandidentificationPrograms

T:1‐800‐447‐6282,Ext7042

[email protected]



AppendixA–ALPRWorkingGroupRosterPage43

TechnicalAdvisors,continued

BernardHowe

ELSAGNorthAmerica

205HCreekRidgeRoad

Greensboro,NC27406

T:336‐379‐7135

[email protected]



GregFlorin

BusinessDevelopmentManager

3MTrafficSafetySystemsDivision

3MCenter,Building235‐3A‐09

St.Paul,MN55144

T:651‐733‐5233

C:651‐338‐0079

[email protected]



JuanA.Herrera,Ph.D.

Perceptics

9737CogdillRoad,Suite200N

Knoxville,TN37932‐3350

T:865‐671‐9243

[email protected]



AnoopGupta

MarketingManager

3MTrafficSafetySystemsDivision

3MCenter,Building235‐3A‐09

St.Paul,MN55144

T:651‐733‐7540

C:651‐238‐1200

[email protected]



GregLary

PIPSTechnology,Inc.

804InnovationDrive

Knoxville,TN37932

T:865‐392‐5540

[email protected]





CraigMcIntire

Unisys

22960ShawRd,Suite700,

SterlingVA20166

T:703.787.2080

[email protected]





AAMVAStaffLiaison



BrianUrsino

Director–LawEnforcement

4301WilsonBlvd.,#400

Arlington,VA22203

T:703.350.5103

[email protected]





AAMVARepresentatives



CathieCurtis

Director,VehiclePrograms

98WedgewoodDrive

Winthrop,ME04364

T:207.395.4100

[email protected]



SheilaPrior

Director,RegionIII&IVMemberSupport‘

10800North101

st

Street

Scottsdale,AZ85260

 T:480‐275‐4584

 [email protected]





AppendixB–AAMVARecommendationsforUniformLicensePlatesPage44

A

ppendixB

AAMVARecommendationsfor

Uniform LicensePlates



AAMVAendorsestheconceptofauniformmotorvehicleregistrationlicenseplatesystem.Inaddition,AAMVA

recommendsthatmemberjurisdictionsadoptthefollowingminimumstandards:



1. Tworegistrationlicenseplatesshouldbeissuedforallpassengertypevehiclesandsingleunittrucks.One

platecanbeissuedfortractors,motorcycles,

andalltypesoftrailers.



2. Thenameoftheissuingjurisdictionshouldbeprominentlydisplayedonthetopcenteroftheplate.

Alpha‐numericcharacterscommonlyreferredtoastheregistrationnumberorplatenumbershouldbe

displayedinthecenteroftheplate.



3. Theregistrationexpirationshould

bedisplayedonthevehiclebymeansofaretro‐reflectivevalidating

stickerontherearlicenseplate,exceptonvehiclesthatarerequiredorpermittedtohaveonlyone

licenseplate,orthoseplatesmanufacturedwithanexpirationdateandforwhichastickerisnot

required.Secondarydecals

shouldbeplacedonthewindshieldforjurisdictions thathavemultipleuses

forthestickers.Newvalidatingstickersmaybeissueduponrenewalofregistrationinlieuofissuingnew

platesforthevehicle.



4. Licenseplatesshouldbemanufacturedintwosizes,dependingontheiruse.Passengertypevehicles,

tractors,trucks,trailers,etc.,shouldbeissuedstandard6"x12"plates.Smallerplatesmeasuring4"x7"

maybeusedonmotorcyclesorothersmallvehicles.



5. Licenseplatescanbeissuedformulti‐yearperiodsandshouldbereissuedorreplacedonaregularbasis

toensurethat

theyremainretro‐reflectiveandtheinformationtheydisplayremainslegible.



6. Fullyretro‐reflectivelicenseplatesshouldbeadoptedandused.



7. Motorvehicleagenciesshouldconsultwithjurisdictionallawenforcement,andifapplicablelocallaw

enforcementrepresentatives,priortoadoptingnewlicenseplatestandardsordesigns.Other

stakeholders

shouldbeconsultedasappropriate.



8. Jurisdictionsshouldstandardizelicenseplates,includingspecialtyplates,e.g.,placementofgraphics,font

andfontsize,alpha‐numerics,platenumbers,useofstackedcharacters,etc.



9. Licenseplatesmustbereadableindaylightandnightusinglowbeamheadlights,underoptimal

conditionsat

adistanceofnolessthan75feet.



AppendixB–AAMVARecommendationsforUniformLicensePlates  Page45

10. Duplicationoflicenseplatenumbers,includinglook‐alikes,e.g.,ABCOOOvs.ABC000,isdiscouragedto

allowaccurateretrievalofvehicleregistrationinformation.



11. Retro‐reflectivedecalsshouldbecolor‐codedwithdurableprinting.Motorvehicleagenciesshould

consultwithjurisdictionallawenforcement,andifapplicable locallaw

enforcementrepresentatives,

priortoadoptingnewcolorschemesforregistrationstickers.



12. Alicenseplateisconsideredtobefullyretro‐reflectiveifthebaseretro‐reflectivesheetingusedforits’

manufacturemeetsthefollowinginitialretro ‐reflectivespecifications(seetablebelow):

ColorEntranceAngle

4°  40°

White  50

  16

Yellow  25  10

Orange  25  10

Lemon‐Yellow 25  10

Gold  25  10

Green  18  7

Blue  18  7

Red  9  3



13. “Decorativeplate”meansalicenseplateorothersimilardevicethatis not issuedforregistration

purposesbyajurisdictionoragencyresponsiblefortheregistration

ofthevehicle.Adecorativeplate

maycontainalphaornumericcharactersbutthealphaornumericcharactersarenotrecordedinthe

jurisdictionalrecordsandarenotapartoftheregistrationrecordsmaintainedbythejurisdiction.The

useofdecorativeplatesthatresembleofficiallicenseplatesissuedby

ajurisdictionshouldbeprohibited.



14. “Specialtyplate”meansanofficiallicenseplateissuedforrecognitionorfundraising.



15. Graphicsonlicenseplatesshouldnot distortorinterferewiththereadabilityofthealphanumeric

charactersorwithanyotheridentifyinginformationontheplatebyeitherhumaneyeor

machine

readabletechnologysuchasAutomatedLicensePlateReaders(ALPR).



16. Platetypeidentifiersdisplayedonlicenseplatesshouldbestandardizedand placedinauniformlocation

onthelicenseplatewithinajurisdiction,e.g.,com mercial,dealer,etc.



Jurisdictionsshoulddesignandmanufacturelicenseplatesina ccordancewithAAMVA’s

BestPracticesGuidefor

ImprovingAutomatedLicensePlateReaderEffective nessthroughUniformLicensePlateDesignand

Manufacture.



AppendixC–ALPRCaseLawPage46



A

ppendixC

ALPRCaseLaw



462F.3d557:UnitedStatesofAmerica,Plaintiff‐appellant,v.CurtisEllison,Defendant‐appellee



UnitedStatesCourtofAppeals,SixthCircuit.‐462F.3d557

Argued:October5,2005DecidedandFiled:September5,2006



Excerptedrelevantsec tions:



14

Noargumentcanbemadethatamotoristseekstokeepthe

informationonhislicenseplateprivate.Thevery

purposeofalicenseplatenumber,likethatofaVehicleIdentificationNumber,istoprovideidentifying

informationtolawenforcementofficialsandothers.ThereasoninginClassvis‐a‐visVehicleIdentification

Numbersapplieswithequalforcetolicenseplates:"[B]ecause

oftheimportantroleplayedbythe[licenseplate]

inthepervasivegovernmentalregulationoftheautomobileandtheeffortsbytheFederalGovernmentto

ensurethatthe[licenseplate]isplaced inplainview,"amotoristcanhavenoreasonableexpectationofprivacy

intheinformationcontainedonit.475

U.S.at114,106S.Ct.960(discussingVehicleIdentificationNumbers).



15

Thedissentimpliesthatevenifanindividual has noexpectationofprivacyinalicenseplatenumber,aprivacy

interestissomehowcreatedbytheentryofthisinformationintoalaw‐enforcementcomputerdatabase.This

argumentfliesintheface

ofestablishedFourthAmendmentdoctrine.First,despitethedissent'sconcernsover

theinformationavailableinaLEINsearch,EllisonhadnoprivacyinterestintheinformationretrievedbyOfficer

Keely.Theobviouspurposeofmaintaininglawenforcementdatabasesistomakeinformation,suchasthe

existenceofoutstandingwarrants,readily

availabletoofficerscarryingoutlegitimatelawenforcementduties.

Thedissentfailstostatehowusingalicenseplatenumber—inwhichthereisnoexpectationofprivacy

—toretrieveothernon‐privateinformationsomehowcreatesa"search"forthepurposesoftheFourth

Amendment.

3

Moreover,thecomputerinvestigationutilizedinthiscasewasfarlessinvasivethanother

governmentactionsthatfalloutsidetheprotectionsoftheFourthAmendment.

See,e.g.,Oliv erv.UnitedStates,466U.S.170,177

,104S.Ct.1735,80L.Ed.2d214(1984)(enteringprivate

propertywith"NoTrespassing"signstoobservemarijuanaplantsinan"openfield"notvisiblefromoutsidethe

property);DowChemicalCo.v.UnitedStates,476U.S.227,239

,106S.Ct.1819,90L.Ed.2d226(1986)

(photographinganindustrialcomplexwithaprecisionaerialmappingcamera); Californiav.Ciraolo,476U.S.

207,213‐14,106S.Ct.1809,90L.Ed.2d210(1986)(usingaerialsurveillanceinpublicairspacetoobservethe

curtilageofaprivateresidence);Smithv.Maryland,442U.S.735,745

‐46,99S.Ct.2577,61L.Ed.2d220(1979)

(placingapenregisteronaphonelinetorecordthenumbersdialedfromaprivateresidence).Thisisnot acase

wherethepoliceusedatechnologynotavailabletothepublictodiscoverevidencethatcouldnototherwisebe

obtained

without"intrusionintoaconstitutionally‐protectedarea."Kyllov.UnitedStates,533U.S.27,34‐35,

121S.Ct.2038,150L.Ed.2d94(2001)(holdingthattheuseofthermal‐imagingtechnologytodetectheatinside



AppendixC–ALPRCaseLaw  Page47

aprivatehomeviolatestheFourthAmendment).Thetechnologyusedinthiscasedoesnotallowofficersto

accessanypreviously‐unobtainableinformation;itsimplyallowsthemtoaccessinformationmorequickly.As

theinformationwasobtainedwithoutintrudinguponaconstitutionally‐protectedarea,therewasno"search"

forFourthAmendment

purposes.



16

Everycourtthathasaddressedthisissuehasreachedthesameconclusion.TheTenthCircuithasheldontwo

occasionsthatlicenseplatesare"inplainviewontheoutsideofthecar"andthus,are"subjecttoseizure"

becausethereisnoreasonableexpectation ofpriva cy.United

Statesv.Matthews,615F.2d1279,1285(10thCir.

1980);seealsoUnitedStatesv.Walraven,892F.2d972

,974(10thCir.1989).TheFifthCircuithasalsoheldthat

"[a]motoristhasnoprivacyinterestinherlicenseplatenumber."Olabisiomotoshov.CityofHouston,185F.3d

521,529(5thCir.1999);accordUnitedStatesv.Sparks,37Fed.Appx.826,829(8thCir.2002);Hallsteinv.Cityof

HermosaBeach,87Fed.Appx.17,19(9thCir.2003).Theonlytwopanelsofthiscourttoaddressthequestion

havereachedthesameresult.UnitedStatesv.$14,000.00inU.S.Currency,

No.98‐4380,2000WL222587,at*3

(6thCir.Feb.14,2000)(findingnoFourthAmendmentviolationinacomputercheckofalicenseplate);United

Statesv.Batten,73Fed.Appx.831,832(6thCir.2003)(same).Asonepanelwrote,"[T]hereisnocaselaw

indicatingthattherecan

beanyreasonableexpectationofprivacyinlicenseplateswhicharerequiredbylawto

bedisplayedinpubliconthefrontandrearofanyvehicleonapublicstreet."Batten,73Fed.Appx.at832;see

alsoWayneR.LaFave,1Search&Seizure§2.5(b)(4thed.2004)("[I]t

isapparentthatwhenavehicleisparked

onthestreetorinalotoratsomeotherlocationwhereitisreadilysubjecttoobservationbymembersofthe

public,itisnosearchforthepolicetolookattheexteriorofthevehicle.")(citingKatzand

Olabisiomotosho).



17

Thus,solongastheofficerhadarighttobeinapositiontoobservethedefendant'slicenseplate,any such

observationandcorrespondinguseoftheinformationontheplatedoesnotviolatetheFourthAmendment.In

thiscase,OfficerKeeleyhadarighttobe

intheparkinglotobservingthevan—hewasinapublicplace

conductingaroutinepatrol.Thedistrictcourt'sfindingthatthevanwasnotparkedillegallyisthusirrelev a nt

—suchafindinggoesonlytoprobablecause,whichisnotnecessaryabsentaFourthAmendment

privacyinterest.

4

OnceOfficerKeeleyconductedthecheckanddiscoveredtheoutstandin gwarrant,hethenhad

probablecausetopulloverthevehicleandarrestthemanidentifiedasEllison.Thearrestandresultingsearch

duringwhichthehandgunswerefoundinnowayviolatedtheFourthAmendment,andthedistrictcourt's

order

grantingthemotiontosuppresswasinerror.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage48

A

ppendixD

InternationalAssociationofChiefsofPolice

Resolution



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage49

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

RESOLUTION



Adoptedatthe119thAnnualConference

SanDiego,CA

October3,2012

ValidatingthePublicSafetyandHomelandSecurityNeedsforRetro‐ReflectiveFront

andRearLicensePlates

Submittedby:HighwaySafetyCommittee

HSC.022.a12



WHEREAS,heightenedhomelandsecurityconcernsandproceduresemphasizetheneedforfastandreliable

identificationof

vehiclesbylawenforcementofficersandcitizensalike,whichisextremelyimportantforlaw

enforcementofficerswhosteadfastlypatroltheapproximatelyfourmillion milesofhighwaysandroadswithin

theUnitedStates;and



WHEREAS,trafficenforcementactivitieshaveproventobeinvaluableinthedetectionandapprehensionof

individualsinvolved

interroristand/orcriminalactivities;allmeansofinitialidentification,includingretro‐

reflectivefrontandrearlicenseplates,areessential;and



WHEREAS,motorvehiclesareusedinthemajorityofallseriouscrimescommittedintheUnitedStatesandthe

quickdiscoveryofsuchvehiclescanhelpsolvethesecrimes;and





WHEREAS,retro‐reflectivefrontandrearlicenseplatesareessentialinthequickandaccurateidentificationof

motorvehiclesevenathighwayspeeds;and



WHEREAS,retro‐reflectivefrontandrearlicenseplatesserveasasignificantsafetydevice,warningmotoristsof

thepresenceofvehiclesthataredisabledorthat

otherwiselacksufficientheadlightsortaillightsandallowing

thosevehiclestobeobservedatasafedistanceandinatimelymanner;and



WHEREAS,itisimportanttokeeplicenseplateslegibleandtomaintaintheirretro‐reflectivitybecausetheyare

relieduponbylawenforcementandcitizensalikeforpublic

andtrafficsafety;now,therefore,beit



RESOLVED,thattheInternationalAssociationofChiefsofPolice(IACP),dulyassembledatits119thAnnual

ConferenceinSanDiego,California,recognizesthattheefficientandreliableidentificationofvehiclesisacritical

elementofnational,stateandlocalsafetyandsecurity,supports

theissuanceofretro‐reflectivefrontandrear

licenseplateswithclearlyidentifiableregistrationnumbersandstatesofregistration,andurgesthatStatesissue

newplatesasrequiredtomaintaineffectivevehicleidentificationandtoprotectthesecurityandintegrityofthe

vehicleregistrationprocess;and,beit



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage50



FURTHERRESOLVED,thattheIACPsupportstheuseoftheBestPracticeGuideforImprovingAutomatedLicense

PlateReaderEffectivenessthroughUniform License PlateDesignandManufacturepublishedbytheAmerican

AssociationofMotorVehicleAdministrators.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage51

A

ppendixE

TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlate

Research





AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage52

Front License Plate Market Research:

Comparison of Single Versus Dual License

Plates



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage53

Front License Plate Market Research:

Comparison of Single Versus Dual License Plates



by



MelissaWalden,Ph.D,P.E.

SeniorResearchScientist



LauraHiggins,M.S.

AssociateResearchScientist



TroyWalden,Ph.D.

AssociateResearchScientist



SarahHammond,M.S.

AssistantResearchSpecialist



August2012



TEXASA&MTRANSPORTATIONINSTITITE

TheTexasA&MUniversitySystem

CollegeStation,Texas77843‐3135



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage54

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



Licenseplatesareacriticalelementofthetransportationsysteminregardstoenforcement andtolling.

Additionally,theplatescontributetotheeffectivenessofparkingandhomelandsecurityapplications.License

platesidentifyvehicles,provideretroreflectivecharacteristicsforreadabilityandsafetyinnighttimeconditions,

registervehiclesfortaxpurposesas

wellasindicatethevehicle’sorigin(state andcountyinsomecases)based

onwhereitisregistered.Thereare31statesthatrequiretwoplates(frontandrear)onvehicleswhilethe

remaining19onlyrequirearearplate.



Policymakersaswellasindividualdrivershavestrongopinions

relatedtotheoneversustwoplatedebate.Law

enforcementbelievesthattwoplatesaideinvehicleidentificationandthebenefitsassociatedwiththeretro

reflectivityisadistinctadvantage.Withtheintegrationofmoreautomaticlicenseplatereader(ALPR)

technologyintoenforcement,twoplatesincreasetheopportunitiestoidentify

vehicles(speeddetection,stolen

vehicles,red‐lightrunning,etc.).Ontheothersideofthedebate,thosewhosupportsingleplatessite the

possibilityofvehiclefraud,theexpenseofissuingtwoplates,andthenegativeeffect ontheaestheticsonthe

frontofthevehicle.Interestingly,thesediscussionsareunique

toNorthAmericasinceothercountriesrequire

twoplatesanditisacceptedmuchliketheculturalexpectationthatindividualsdonotdriveafterdrinking.



Theconclusionsdrawninthisstudywerebasedontheliteraturereviewandfieldstudies.Theresearchteam

collectedlicenseplatedatainfourstates:

PennsylvaniaandArizonaweretheoneplatestatesandMarylandand

Texaswerethetwoplatestates.Thesestateswereselectedbasedongeography,proximitytootherstatesor

theinternationalborder,useofALPRtechnology,andpresenceoftolling.Thestudy resultsaresummarized

below:



 Frontplateswere

easiertoreadinthedaytimeenvironmentdue totheeffectsofsunglare[1].

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 Lackoffrontplateshassignificantimpactonthegenerationofphotographicevidencerelatedto

finingtollviolators.WithrespecttoVirginia’stollviolations,23%couldnotbepursuedduetothe

lackof

licenseplatedata(rearplateswereunreadable)[2;3].



 Withoutfrontlicenseplates,theE‐470corridorinColoradowouldloseatleast$23.1Mintoll

revenueor34.5%oftheirtollsonanannualbasis[4].



 TheUnitedStatesCustomsandBorder Protection(CBP)reportsthat

thenumberofplatesnotread

(excluded)onvehiclewithouttwoplatesmadeasignificantimpactintheirborderprocessing.Atthe

northernborder6%oftheplatescouldnotbereadand3.4%acrossthesouthernborder[5].The

majordifferencebetweentheinternationalbordersisthepresenceofdual

platestatesbetweenthe

USandMexico.With thevolumeofvehiclesprocessedeverydayalongwiththehomelandsecurity

concerns,thefrontplateallowsCBPtooperatemoreeffectively.

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 Pennsylvaniaisaoneplatestatewitha360mileturnpikethatcrossesthestateeasttowest.Law

enforcement

wouldliketoseetwoplatestoimprovetheirabilitytoreadplates,especiallylarge



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage55

commercialtrucks,usingALPRtechnology.Sixteenpercentoftheplatesthroughthetollingfacilities

arenotabletobereadwhichimpactsthestate’sabilitytopursuetollviolators.

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 Phoenix’sSkyHarborAirportreportsthat10,000parkingtransactionsperyear,anaverageof

$30/transaction,relyonALPRplatereads

todetermineaccurate charging.Fifteenpercentofthose

transactionshadtobeprocessedmanuallysincetherearplatescouldnotbereaddueprimarilyto

sunglare.

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 Fieldstudiesshoweda97%readrateforparkedvehiclesintwoplatestatesand76%inoneplate

states.Formoving

vehicles,thereadrateinMarylandandTe xaswas89%,PennsylvaniaandArizona

itwas22%and58%ontheroadwaysconnectingMarylandandPennsylvania.Thesereadratesare

basedontheopportunitytoreadafrontplate;avehiclehadalicenseplatemountedonthefront

bumper.





Forthosestateswithmorethan100milesoftollroads,oneplatestatesaccountfor55%ofthetotal

tollwaymiles[6].Asfiscalpressuresmount,efficiencyinthecollectionoftollsandthepursuitof

violatorsbecomescritical.Frontplatesincreasethelikelihoodofcollectingthatrevenue.

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Asearlyas1925,expertsinthetransportationfieldrecognizedthebenefitsofstandardizedplacementoflicense

platesandproposedfrontandrearplatepositioning.Theybelievedthatthisstandardization“wouldhelpall

concernedwiththeir(licenseplates)observance”[7].Identificationofvehiclesisacriticalissuefor

enforcement,tolling,parking,

andhomelandsecurity.Theuseoftwoplatesmaximizestheopportunityfor this

identificationtobecompletedefficientlyandeffectivelywhetherbyanindividualorthroughALPRtechnology.

WiththeincreaseintheuseofALPRtechnologyacrossalloftheapplications,itisclearthatthepresenceoftwo

platesprovidesbetterobservationopportunitiesrelatedtoalltheapplications.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage56

BACKGROUND

Licenseplatesareacriticalpartofthetransportationsystemformanyreasons.Althoughvehiclescanbe

describedaccordingtomake,model, color,and/orotherdistinguishingfactors,thesegeneralattributescanbe

subjectiveandevencommon.Avehicle’slicenseplateprovidesauniqueidenti fierthatconnectsthevehicleto

its

ownerandstatus.Licenseplatesprovide:



 identityofvehiclesforlawenforcement,tolling,parkingandotherpublicapplications,

 retroreflectiveelementsforreadabilityandasasafetybenefitinnighttimeconditions,

 ameansofregisteringvehiclesfortaxandotherpurposes,and

 designationofthevehicle’s

origin(stateandsometimescounty)basedonwhereitisregistered



LicenseplateshavebeenusedonvehiclesintheUnitedStatessincetheearlydaysofthetwentiethcentury.

Today,eachstatehasmultipleversionsoflicenseplatesthatareavailabletothecitizens,althoughallhavea

standard

sizeof12×6inches.Inadditiontothedifferencesinappearance,thereisanotherkeydifference 

betweensomeofthestates–thosethatusearear‐only(single)licenseplateandthosethatusebothfrontand

rear(dual)licenseplates.



Table1providesalistofstatesin

eachcategory.Therearenineteenstatesthatrequireonelicenseplatewhile

theremainingthirtyone areprimarilytwoplatestates.



Table 1. Summary of License Plate Use.

StateswithRear‐OnlyLicensePlates StateswithFrontandRearLicensePlates

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana



Michigan

Mississippi

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

NewMexico

NorthCarolina

SouthCarolina

Tennessee

WestVirginia



Alaska

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Maine

Minnesota

Missouri

Maryland

Montana

Nebraska

New

Hampshire

NewJersey

NewYork

Nevada

NorthDakota

Ohio



Oregon

Rhode

Island

SouthDakota

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Wyoming



Note:MassachusettsandNevadarequiretwolicenseplates,butthereareexceptionstothatrequirementbasedonmodel

and/oryear[8].



AccordingtotheNationalConferenceofStateLegislatures(September1999), eightjurisdictionsrespondingtoa

questionnairewereconsideringchangingtheirlicenseplaterequirement(withamajorityofthesewantingto

cutbackfromtwotoone)[9].Indianahasattempt edtomovefromoneplatetotwo,butthelegislationwas



defeatedcitingalackofevidencethatbenefitsoutweighedcosts.Incontrast,Utahintroducedlegislationin

2006tochangetheirrequirementsfromtwoplatestoone.Thisrevisiondidnotpass.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage57

Manyfactorsimpacttheadvantagesofusingtwoversusonelicenseplate.Discussionshavefocusedprimarily

onthelawenforcementaspectofvehicleidentification;howeveroverthecourseofthisproject,itwas

determinedthatenforcementisonlyoneaspectofthedebate.Althoughlawenforcementisoneofthemain



proponentsofthetwoplaterequirement,theyacknowledgethattheirjobcouldbeaccomplishedifonlygiven

oneplatepervehicle,albeitaslightlymorelaboriousandlessefficientmethod.Afewofthekeyissuesrelated

tosingleversusduallicenseplateusefromgeneralenforcementandvisibilityperspectives

aresummarizedin

Table2.

Table 2. Issues Related to License Plate Use.

Advantages of Two License Plates Disadvantages of Two License Plates

Assistslawenforcementofficials

 Vehiclecanbeidentifiedfromeitherfrontor

rear(bytheofficeraloneorinconjunction

withanautomaticlicenseplatereaderor

ALPR)

 Couldpotentiallyassistinhitandrun

identification

Increasessafetyingeneral

 Retroreflectivematerialonfrontofcar

increases

visibilityatalltimes

 Providessometypeofreflectionfor

drunk/inattentivedriverswhoneglecttoturn

ontheirheadlightsduringdarkhours[1 ]

Assistswithphotoandlaserradarenforcement

 Providestwoopportunitiesforphotographic

evidence

 Providesaretroreflectivetargetforlaser

speeddetection



Increase

ofpossibilityofvehicularfraud

 Relativelylaxenforcementoflawallowsone

totakeonepairoflicenseplatesanddistribute

itbetweentwocars

Expenseofaddingtwiceasmanyplates

 Somestatesbelievethatissignificantlymore

expensivetoissuetwoplates,butinter v iews

indicatethatin

moststatesthecostisminimal

andpassedontotheconsumer

 Arguedthatmoneywouldbebetterspenton

findingcheapersolutionsthatwouldprovide

equallevelsofretroreflectivity/visibility

Damagetoparticularmodels

 Eventhoughallmodelshavealocationfora

frontlicense

platebracket,theequipmentis

frequentlyleftoffofthecarwhendeliveredto

thedealerships

 Ownersbelievethatthismayleadto

unprofessionalalterationsthataffectthevalue

orappearanceofthevehicle

 USadvertisingtypicallydoesnotincludefront

licenseplateswhereasEuropeanpublications

almostalways

includeafrontlicenseplate



Theearlyappreciationofhavingtwolicenseplatesonavehicleisevidencedina1925publicationofinthe

JournalofAutomotiveEngineers[7].TheDivisionofSimplifiedPractice,oneoftheausterityeffortswithinthe

federalgovernment,recommendedthatlicenseplateshavestandardlocations:frontandrear.Itwas

thought

thatfrontandrearplatescanbeobscuredordamaged,sorequiringspecificlocationsonthevehicleforlicense

plateswouldhelpallconcernedwiththeirobservanceandimproveproperidentification.



Currently,therequirementsregardinglicenseplatesintheUnitedStatesarelargelyapoliticalissue,withvery

little

scientificevidencetosupporttheuseofoneversestwoplates.Strongargumentsexistonbothsidesofthe



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage58

issue,butneitherhasthesufficientamountofquantitativedatasupportingitspremisetoreachadefinitive

conclusion,ascanbeseenbytheUnitedStates’distinctsplitontheissueamongstthestates.



Whenexaminingthearguments,itgenerallyappearsthatthoseinfavorofrequiringtwolicenseplates

havea

mindsetofsafetyandidentification,whereasthoseinfavorofonearecomingfromafiscalandaesthetic

perspective.Thecostofalicenseplateandthenumberoflicenseplatesissuedwillvaryfromstatetostate,

hencemakingtheargumentofcostversussafetyanalysisforeach

state’sscenariodifferent.Interestingly,the

fiscalargumentappearstobepresentwhetherpeopleadvocateforoneortwolicenseplates.Withthe

increaseduseofautomatedlicenseplaterecognition(ALPR)technology(enforcement,tolling,parking,etc.),the

presenceofbothfrontandbackplatesincreasestheopportunitytocapturerevenue especially

withrespectto

securingpaymentforviolationsrelatedtotollingandtheeffectiveprocessingofparkingfees.Itisreasonableto

assumethattheusageofALPRtechnologywillcontinuetoexpandintermsofthenumberofunitsdeployed,but

alsointhediversityofapplications.ALPRisonlya

tooltoassistinthereadingoflicenseplates;theplateshave

tobeavailabletoreadinorderforALPRtoworkjustaswhenanindividualmanuallyreadstheplate.Whenwe

considerthisexpectation,theneedforfrontmountedplatesseemstobealogicalconclusion.



In

ordertoaddressthelackofquantitativeevidencerelatedtooneversustwolicenseplaterequirements,this

projectexaminedvehicleidentificationbasedonenforcement/trafficsafety,homelandsecurity,tolling,and

parkingperspectives.Inordertoaddres spossiblegeographicissuesthedatacollectionwascompletedintwo

regionsofthecountry:Mid‐Atlantic

andSouthwest.



Thisresearcheffortproposedtoutilizethescientificapproachtoidentifyingcriticalinformationandtryingto

determinequantitativedatathatcanbeusedaspartofananalyticalprocessinassessingtheissuesrelatedto

usingoneversustwolicenseplates.Thefollowingsectiondetailsthemethodologyemployed

tomeetthe

objectivesofthisproject.



STUDYOBJECTIVES

Theprimarygoalofthisresearchprojectwastoevaluatethebenefitsand challengesassociatedwiththeuseof

duallicenseplates(frontandrear)asopposedtoasinglelicenseplate(rearonly).Theprojectobjectivesfocused

ontwoareaswhere

licenseplatesarecritical:law enforcementandgeneralvehicleidentification.



LawEnforcement

 Identifylawenforcementpracticesinvolvinglicenseplatesandvehicleidentification,includingtheuse

ofALPRsystems.

 Determineifrearorfrontplateplacement(orbothversusrearonly)provideshigheriden tificationrates

whenusingALPRsystems.

o Identifytheimpactsfromtimeofday,direction,lighting,and

flashtovehicleidentificationwhen

usingALPRsystems.

 Identifysituationsandthelikelihoodofthosesituations,inwhichthelackofafrontlicenseplatecould

impedevehicleidentification,andwhetherthatidentificationisattempted byapersonvisuallyscanning

vehiclesorbyanALPRsystem.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage59

 Assesstheprobabilityofvehicleidentificationbylawenforcementofficersbysightaloneconsidering

theavailabilityofoneortwoplates.



GeneralVehicleIdentification

 Comparetheidentificationratesrelatedtotolling,parking,andenforcementtechnology prominentin

speedandredlightcamerasinregardstooneortwo

licenseplates.

 Identifypracticesofvehicleidentificationusingoneortwoplateplacementrelatedtohomeland

securityandaccessentry.

 Determinetheimpactoftheuseoflicensesplatesforidentificationofvehiclesbywitnessesduringthe

investigationofcrimesorotherincidents.

 Examinethefiscalimplicationsof

oneversestwoplatesastheyrelatetomultipleapplications.



Inadditiontotheidentificationaspectsofsingleversesduallicenseplates,TTIexaminedthefiscalimplications

astheyrelatetomultipleapplica tions(enforcement,tolling,parking,etc.).



METHODOLOGY

Thisprojectinvolvesdiversestakeholderswhomayserveastheconsumers

oftheresultsofthisreport.Inorder

toillustratetheimpactofoneversestwolicenseplates,theprojectteamincludedquantitativeaswellas

qualitativeapproachestodatacollectionandanalysis.Fromthequantitativeperspective,theresearchteam

observedbothstationaryvehiclesandthoseinmotiontodeterminethe

ratewhichthevehiclescouldbe

identifiedaccordingtotheirlicenseplate.Thesetypesofobservationscouldbereplicatedindifferentareasby

anynumberofresearchers.



Theresearchteamwasalsointerestedinstudyinghowhumanbehavioraffectsvehicleidentificationbylaw

enforcementofficersandothertransportationprofessionals.The

quantitativedataaddressedhowmany

vehiclescouldbeidentifiedusingfrontand/orrearplates,butthequalitativedatainformedtheresearchersas

tohowanindividualoragencyusesthisdataandarticulateschallengesassociatedwithvehicleidentification

usinglicenseplates.Althoughthistypeofdatacollection isoftenconsidered

subjectiveitisimportantto

interpretthedatafromapracticalperspective.Thecombinationofquantitativeandqualitativemethodology

providesforacomprehensiveanalysisthatservesthediverseconsumersofthistypeofmarketstudyresearch.



Thefocusofthisprojectwastoassesshowvehicleidentificationusingtwolicenseplates

comparestorearonly

plates.Theintentofthemethodologywastoexaminetheidentificationwithrespecttoallapplicationsnotjust

lawenforcement.Basedonthisapproach,theresearcherscouldnotignoretheimpactthatALPRtechnologyhas

ontheidentificationprocessand, subsequently,whetherstatesshouldconsiderusing

twoplatesonallvehicles

registeredintheirstate.



Inanefforttorepresentperspectivesfromdifferentpartsofthecountry,TTIidentifiedfourstatesinwhichto

collectdata.Byutilizingfourstates(twodualplatestatesandtwosingleplatestates);TTIwasabletoproducea

studythat

wasmorerepresentativeoftheidentificationneedsofenforcementandotheridentification 

activities.Tworegionswereidentified,Mid‐AtlanticandSouthwest,asdatacollectionareasforthisproject.TTI

selectedstatestoprovideopportunityforobservationindiverseenvironments.Maryland,Pennsylvania,Texas



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage60

andArizonaweretheprimarystates,butduetotheirproximitytootherstates,theobservationprocess

included,ataminimum,theselectedstatesaswellastheadjacentstates.Allstateshadatleastminimal

deploymentofALPRsystemsasameansofidentificationand enforcement.



Basedonthepreliminary

reviewofpublications,TTIdeterminedthatitneededtoworkinstateswheretheALPR

systemswerealreadyintegratedintoenforcementactivities.TTIalsowantedtoensurethatitcouldreadily

identifyenforcementagenciesthatwouldbewillingtoparticipateinthisprojectandplannedonutilizing

existingrelationships/partnershipswith

ALPRproviderstoenlistthatparticipation.Maryland(twopla tes)and

Pennsylvania(oneplate)aregeographicallylocatedinproximitytoNewJersey(twoplates),Virginia(two

plates),WestVirginia(oneplate),Delaware(oneplate),andtheDistrictofColumbia(twoplates),therefore

observationsinthesestatesnotonlyincludedplatesfromthe

selectedstates,butalsoanumberofplatesfrom

theadjoiningstates.Travelrelatedtoconductingtheobservationsinthesestateswasminimizedsincelarge

populationcentersaswellasruralareaswerelocatedclosetoeachotherandreadilyaccessibleinsoutheastern

PennsylvaniaandMaryland(especiallyintheBaltimore

metroarea).



Thesecondsetofstates,Texas(twoplates)andArizona(oneplate);representasignificantlydifferenttypeof

areaascomparedtothemid‐Atlanticstates.TTIconductedthemajorityoftheobservationsinthesestatesin

theElPaso(TX)/LasCruces(NM)area,CollegeStation,andHouston.

InArizona,observationsfocusedon

PhoenixandTucsoninadditiontotheruralareasbetweenthesemetrocenters.Theselocations presentunique

issueswithlicenseplateidentification.Thereisagreatdealofinterstatetransitbe tweenArizona,NewMexico

andTexasinthisareaalongwithalargemilitarypopulationthat

includedresidentsfromadiversesetofstates

whoareinTexastemporarilyformilitaryassignments.Therearealsosignificantissuesrelatedtoborder

crossingsforwork(personalandcommercialvehicles)aswellasrecreation.



Itwasimportanttoattendtoissuesofdiversityintheobservationofthelicense

plates(twovs.oneplate,design

ofplates,states,etc.)inordertoprovidethebestdatasetforanalysis.Byusingstatesthatareadjacenttoeach

otherandselectingstatesthatpresentasmanydifferentlicensesplateobservationsaspossible,theanalysis

wasmorerepresentativeoftheissues

oflicenseplaterecognition.Sincedatacollectionrepresenteda

significantportionoftheprojectcost,itwascriticalthatthistaskwasperformedinsuchamannertomaximize

theamountofdatacollected.



Theworkplanwasstructuredtoprovideuseful,practical,andreliableinformationthatcanbeusedto



determinewhethertwolicenseplatesaremoreeffectivethanonlyarearplate.Itwasimportanttoconsider

perspectivesthatnotonlyincludedlawenforcement,butalsotolling,parking,andhomelandsecurity.The

followingsectiondetailstheactivitiesusedtoexaminetheeffectivenessofoneversestwolicenseplateson

vehicles.



VEHICLEINDENTIFICATION

Intuitively,itmakessensethatindividualsand/orALPRtechnologywillbemoreeffectivewhenprovidedwithan

increasednumberofchancestolookatalicenseplate.Inordertounderstandthedifferencethattheuseofone

plateversustwoplatesmaketothevehicleidentification,it

isimportanttounderstandthatrecognitionprocess

forindividualswithandwithouttheassistanceoftechnology.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage61



Theabilitytorecognizeavehicleiscriticaltoanumberofapplications[10].Typicalvehiclecharacteristics

includebodycolor,makeandmodel,licenseplatesand/orotherdistinguishingfactorssuchasbodydamage,

windowtint,orstickers.Avehicle’smakeormodelhasdistinctfeaturesthatarekeytohuman 

perception.

Vehicletype(e.g.truck,sedan,orvan)canberecognizedevenfromasignificantdistance.



Inthecaseoflawenforcement,officersmayuselicenseplatestoidentifyvehiclesforhomelandsecurity,auto

theft,trafficviolations,andothercriminalactivities.Trafficlawenforcementbenefitsfrequentlygobeyon dthe

traffic

stopsincemanyofthesestopsleadtotheidentificationand/orapprehensionofindividualsinvolvedin

moreseriouscrimes.TheNationalHighwayTransportationSafetyAdministration(NHTSA)andtheInternational

AssociationofChiefsofPolice(IACP)havefocusedonthisopportunitybydeployingatrainingcoursecalled

ConductingCompleteTrafficStops[11].

Theinclusionoflicenseplateinformationinthisprocessisnotonly

importanttoidentifyingcriminals,butalsotoofficersafety.



Eventhoughtheofficersmaybesearchingforaspecificlicenseplatenumber,theyoftenuseotherfactorsasa

meansofidentificationtoreducethenumberofoptions

priortofocusingontheplate.Thesecharacteristicsare

easiertoseeandmentallyprocess,theyallowofficerstoeliminatethevehiclesthatdonotfitthegeneral

description,andrequireminimalinteractionwiththeirdispatch[10].Itisdifficultforalawenforcementofficer

toonlyusethelicense

plateastheprimaryidentifierwithouttheuseofALPRtechnologysincetheofficermust

typeintheplatenumbertotheiron‐boardcomputingsystem and/orcontactdispatchforconfirmation.This

processcanbetimeconsumingandcausedelays.



HumanRecognitionVersesALPRTechnology

WhenALPRtechnologyisemployedin

theenforcementenvironment,thetechnologyperformsthevisual

identificationbyreadingandprocessingtheplateinordertoalerttheofficertoapotentialoffenderorstolen

property.Thetechnologyallows anofficertoassesshundredsofplatesperhourandautomaticallyalerts the

officertothoseplatesthatare

knowntobestolenorbelongtoindividualsinvolvedwithothercriminalactivity

[12].TheALPRprocessisveryefficient,but,likeapoliceofficer,itcannotreadwhatitcannotsee.Iflicense

platesareaffixedtothefrontandrearofvehicles,thetechnology,aswellasidentificationsolely

byalaw

enforcementofficer,canworkmoreefficientlywhetherthevehicleinquestionismovingorinastationary

position.Dualplatesallowanofficertospecificallyidentifyavehiclefromthesafetyoftheirpolicecar

regardlessofwhetherthevehicleisinmotionorstationary.



Vehiclesrequire

identificationinotherapplicationsinadditiontoenforcement.Governmentandprivateentities

arelookingforwaystomakeprocessesmoreefficient/costeffectiveandlessdependentonhumaninteraction

especiallyinregardstorepetitiveactivitiesrelatedtotolling,parking,andautomatedenforcementsuchasred

lightviolationsandspeeding.Licenseplates

serveasuniqueidentifiersinalloftheseapplicationsanddirectly

affectaccurateidentificationofthevehicleinvolvedintheviolationand,insomecases,revenuegeneration.



Althoughtheconceptofidentifyingamotorvehicleseemssimple,itcanbecomplexandtimeconsuming.Once

thevehicleitselfisidentified,

thevehiclehastobeconnectedtothedriverortheownerinordertopursuean

enforcementissueofseekingpaymentforatraffic(red‐lightcamerasandspee ding)tollingorparkingviolation.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage62

Theabilitytoidentifythevehiclefromthefrontaswellastherearincreasestheopportunitytorecognizeand

comparetheplatetoaknowndatabaseofvehicleinformation.Evenwithoutthebenefitofquantitativedata

relatedtolicenseplateid entification,itisreasonabletoconcludethattheuseof

frontandrearlicenseplates

increasetheprobabilitytoaccuratelyidentifyingamotorvehicleinmultipleanddiversesituations.Clearly,with

theadventofALPRtechnology anditsrelevancetovariousapplications,thereisorwillbeasignificantbenefitto

government,privateentities,aswellasenforcement.



Thefollowing

sectionofthisreportprovidesdataandcasestudiesfromtheliteratureaswellasthefieldstudies

conductedspecificallyaspartofthisproject.



APPLICATIONSINLICENSEPLATEIDENTIFICATION

Inordertoaddresstheobjectivesofthisproject,theresearchteamreviewedexistingliteratureandcollected

datafromspecificstates

todeterminetheimpactofutilizingduallicenseplates(frontandrearplacement)

versesonlyusingasinglerearplate.Initially,theresearchteamwasfocusedonenforcement,butfoundthatthe

enforcementcommunityhaslittleincentivetocollectdatarelatedtotheidentifi cationofvehicleviathelicense

plate.

Mostoftheexistingdataisanecdotal.Theenforcementrelateddataincludedinthisreportwascollected

bytheresearchteamineachofthefourstateswithmovingvehiclesandthosethatwerestationary.



Althoughtheenforcementdatademonstratesadifferenceintherecognition ofvehicleswithdualplate,

the

researchersfoundanevenmoreprofoundimpactwhentheyexaminedthefiscalimpactintolling aswellasan

improvementinrecognitioninsecurityapplications.TheimpactofALPRtechnologycannotbeignoredasa

criticalfactorinregardstothecurrentandpotentialbenefitsofrequiringafrontlicense

plate.Astheuseof

ALPRtechnologyincreasesacrossadiversesetofapplications,frontplateswillbecomeevenmorebeneficial.

Thissectiondetailsthecasesstudiesfoundintheliteratureaswellasthedataanalysisbasedonthefield

studiesthatwereconductedaspartofthisproject.



CaseStudiesfromtheLiterature

Aspartoftheliteraturereview,theresearchteamselectedexamplesrelatedtotheidentificationofvehicles

eithermanuallyorbyusingALPRtechnology.Theseexampleshavebeensummarizedintheformofcasestudies

relatedtoenforcementandtolling.Theintentionwas tohighlight

practicalinsightsgleanedfromtheexisting

literatureasameansofinformingthemethodology,datacollection,andtheformationofconclusionsrelatedto

thedebateofoneversustwoplates.



California:AutomatedPhotoEnforcementCountermeasures

AstudywasconductedinCaliforniatoexaminetheeffect oftwocountermeasures:photospray

andlicense

plateshields[1].Fieldtestsexaminedtheimpactofplatetreatmentsonthereadabilityofthefrontandrear

licenseplatesindifferentdirections(eastandwest)inbothdaylightanddarkness.Thestudyalsoprovidessome

insightontherecognitionoftheplateplacement.Inthedarknesssetting,

therewasnotanoticeabledifference

betweenthereadabilityofeitherthefrontorrearplates.Observationsmadeduringindaylightenvironment

didproduceadifferencebetweenthereadabilityofthefrontversesrearplates.Thepresenceofsunglarehada

noticeableeffectonthereadabilityoftherear

plates,butnotthoseplacedonthefrontofthecar.Theseresults

areconsistentwithobservationsmadebythestaffatPhoenix’sSkyHarborAirportparkingfacilities.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage63



AlthoughthisstudywasconductedexclusivelyusingALPRtechnology,itisreasonabletoassumethatthesun

glarewouldalsoaffectanindividual’sabilitytorecognizeandreadtheplatesregardlessofthetreatment.



Virginia:ReportoftheTollingLegislationWorkingGroup

Virginiahasanumberoftollroadsincluding

thosethatarepartofthegeneralroadwaythatserveasHOTlanes.

Theseroadwaysareacriticalpartofthestate’stransportationinfrastructureandserveasacriticalelementto

addressmobilityissuesinVirginia’smostcongestedareas.



“TheHOVlanesmovemorepeopleincarpools,vanpools,buses,motorcycles,

cleanfuelvehicles,and

trucksfromVirginiatothecoreareasofArlingtonandWashingtonDCthantheregularhighwaylanes,

Metrorail,andtheVirginiaRailwayExpress.OurtransportationnetworkcouldnotfunctionwithoutHOV

lanes[2,p2].”



Electronictollcollectiontechnologyhasimprovedthetransportationenvironmentsothathigh‐

occupancyand

tollingfacilitiescanbeexpanded.Thechallenge associatedwithelectronicallymonitoringthesefacilitiesisthe

enforcementoftheoccupancyandtollviolationswithminimalimpacttothosefacilities[2;3].Manual

enforcement,individualofficersaloneoraspartofsaturationpatrols,isexpensive,frequentlyinefficient,and

divertsresources[2;

3;13].



Additionally,thistypeofenforcementonlyresultsinshorttermimpactonviolationratesanddisruptstraffic

flowonroadwaysthatareintendedtoimprovemobility.Alongwiththegrowingdemandforefficienttravel,

tollingauthoritiesandgovernmententitiesneedtorecouptherevenuethatisusedto

justifytheconstructionof

suchfacilities.Withthatinmind,itisimportanttomaximizetheopportunitytoidentifyvehiclesvialicense

plates.AlthoughVirginiaisatwoplatestate,notalloftheirtollingfacilitiesareequippedwithALRPcameras

thatreadthefrontplatewhichsignificantlycontributesto

the539,000violations(23%oftotalviolations)which

arenotpursuedduetothelackofphotographicevidence.Itiseasy toimaginethefinancialimpactthatthishas

ontherevenuegenerationinVirginia[3].



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage64

Table 3. Virginia Toll Transactions and Violation Disposition [3]. (Year Ending 6/30/2011)

Totaltolltransactions 200,000,000

Tollviolations 1,914,000

Violationsnotresultinginacourtsummons 1,871,000

Paid

Violations

ViolationsprocessedthroughV‐tolling 647,000

Violationspursuedthroughnotices 445,000

Violationpaidafter1stnotice 164,000

UnpaidViolations

Violationnotpaid,butdisregardedsinceathirdviolationdidnotoccurduringthe

calendaryear

173,000

Returnedtosender 65,000

Violationsnotprocessedduetolackofphoto 539,000

Violator(1sttimeviolator)withnoadditionalviolationsdurin gthe

calendaryear(nofine)

283,000

Violationsresultingincourtsummons(6 ,750 individualviolators) 43,000

Fromthesestatistics,itisevidentthati mprovingthecapabilitytoidentifyandphotographlicenseplatescould

significantlyimprovereclamationoffeesforviolations.Addingcameraspositionedtocapturefrontplatesin

additiontotherear‐platecamerascurrentlyinservicecouldsignificantlyincreasethenumberofvehiclesthat

aresuccessfully

photographed.



Georgia:EnforcementStrategiesforHigh‐OccupancyToll(HOT)LanesinAtlanta

ThemetroAtlantaareaiswellknownforitscongestion.Withthreemajorinterstates(I‐20,I‐75,andI‐85)

converginginitsdowntownareaalongwiththepopulationgrowthinitssuburbs,thecityisseeking

waysto

improvetheirtransportationinfrastructurewhilerelievingitscongestionchallenges.Atlantaiscurrentlyutilizing

HOTlanecorridorswithoutcompletebarrierseparationasameansofaddressingthesignificantcongesti on

challengesalongitsmosttravelledroadways[13].Effectiveenforcementpresentsseveralissueswhen

addressingtollviolations,laneintegrity,andoccupancy

restrictions.Inordertoaugmenttraditional

enforcementbyindividualofficers,theHOTlanesareequippedwithenforcementcamerasthatcapturethe

licenseplatesofviolators.TheALPRequipmentisdirectedonlyattherearplate.Thisapplicationisnotsolely

duetothefactthatGeorgiaisaoneplatestate,

butratherbecausetheviolationhastooccur(i.e.vehiclemust

passthegantry/readerwithoutavalidtransponder)beforethecameraneedstocapturetheimageoftheplate.

Ifreadingfrontplateswasanoption,theremaybeotheravailableapproachestoenforcement(occupancyand

othertollingviolations).



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage65

Denver,Colorado:E‐470andHowFrontLicensePlatesImpactTollwayEfficiency

TheE‐470roadwayintheDenver‐Aurora

MetropolitanAreaservesanexcellent

exampleofhowmuchfrontlicenseplatescan

impacttheefficiencyofourtransportation

infrastructureinthetollingapplication.E‐470

isa47‐milelong,controlled

‐accessroadwith

fullyelectronictolling.Thetollwayintersects

significanthighways(I‐25,I‐70,andI‐76)and

servesasanouterbeltwayforthe

Denver‐AuroraMetropolitanArea[14].E‐470

isnotastateroadandismanagedbythe

E‐470PublicHighwayAuthority;therefore

itis

criticalthatthesystemgeneratetheexpected

revenuesincetollingauthorityreceivesno

stateorfederalfundingorlocaltaxes.



Overatwelvemonthperiod,E‐470Public

HighwayAuthoritytrackedthenumberof

transactionsandtollsduebasedonwhich

licenseplatewasusedtogeneratethe

toll.

Therewereatotalof23,798,636transactionsresultinginmorethan$67.2millioninrevenue[4].Frontplates

accountedfor8,007,895tolltransactionsand$23.1millioninrevenue.BasedonfeedbackdirectlyfromE‐470

staff,theabilitytocapturefrontplatesiscriticaltothesuccessofthetoll

way.Thirty‐fourpercent(34%)ofthe

tollingrevenuewouldhavebeenlostwithouttheabilitytoreadafrontlicenseplate.

Table 4. E‐470 Transactions for 12‐Month Period [4].

PlateSide TransactionCount TollDue %ofTOT

FRONT 8,007,695 $23,062,441 34.3%

REAR 5,389,926 $14,577,152 21.7%

UNKNOWN 10,401,015 $29,589,750 44.0%

TOTAL 23,798,636 $67,229,342



AccordingtoDaveKristickoftheE‐470PublicHighwayAuthority,frontplatesareevenmoreimportantinthe

captureoflarge,long‐haultruckrevenue[4].Duetotheprevalentuseofapportionedplateswiththetrailers,

theabilitytocapturethefrontplatesoflargetrucksiscrucial.The

operationoftheE‐470tollwayprovidesa

strongcaseforwhyfrontplateswillbeacriticalelementoftollingaseitherameansofgeneratingthetoll

and/orpursuingviolations.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage66

U.S.CustomsandBorderProtection:EffectsofLicensePlatePlacementonALPRatBorder

Crossings

TheU.S.CustomsandBorderProtection(CBP)utilizeALPRtechnologyonboththenorthernandsouthern

bordersoftheUnitedStates[15].Theborderfacilitiesprocessasignificantnumberofvehicleseachday,so

efficiencyof

theidentificationprocessisparamount.U.SCustomsandBorderProtectioninconjunctionwithRTR

technologiesstudiedtheeffectivenessofALPRapplicationsonatnorthernandsouthernbordercrossingsand

theresultsofthatinvestigationaresummarizedinthiscasestudy.



AuthoritiesattheinternationalbordersreliedonALPRtechnologyfor

thisinvestigation.Theagencydefineda

validreadasonethatisread(correctlyorerroneously)andexcludedseveralinstancessincetheissuewas

beyondthecapabilitiesoftheALPRsystemduetolimitationsinthefieldofview.Inordertobeincluded,the

plate’snumberandstatemust

bevisible.Thosevehicleswithobstructionssuchasatrailerhitch,partofthe

platebeingoutofthefieldofview,temporaryplates,towedvehicles,motorcycles,aswellascommercial

vehicleswithmorethanonespecificplatewereexcluded.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage67

TheCanadianandMexicanstatesthatbordertheUnitedStateshavethefollowingrequirementsforlicense

plates:

Table 5. International States Bordering the United States [8].

Dual Plates Rear Plate Only

Canada

BritishColumbia

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

NewBrunswick

YukonTerritory

Alberta

Quebec

NovaScotia

Mexico

BajaCalifornia

BajaCaliforniaSur

Chihuahua*

Cuahuila*

Sonora*

Tamaulipas*

NorteNuevoLeon



Note: In Mexico, the front plate requirement only applies to privately owned vehicles. The (*) indicates that in these Mexican

states, a front plate is only required on vehicles that are registered to owners who live within 20 miles of the U.S. border.

Atthenorthernbordercrossings,vehicleswithrear‐onlyplates hadsignificantlymoreexclusions(e.g.therear

platewasobscuredbysomethingandtherewasnofrontplatetoread)thanthosewithdualplatesandtheread

rateswerelower[5].Thegeneraltrafficlaneshada pproximately6%oftheir

vehiclesexcludedandthe

commuterlaneshada4%exclusionrate.



Seventy‐fivepercentofthereadratesforrear‐onlyplateswerebelowtheaverageofthedualplatereads.The

southernborderexclusionswerebetterwithonly3.4%ofthegenerallanetrafficexcludedand1.3%ofthe

commuterlanesvehicleswereexcluded.Thisislikel y duetothefactthatmostofthetrafficacrossthesouthern

crossingshavetwoplatessincethetwomostpopulousstatesintheU.S.,TexasandCalifornia,aredualplate

statesandhavesignificantcrosstrafficonadailybasis.



Additionally,the

Mexicanstates adjacenttothesebordersrequiretwoplatesforthosemostlikelytocrossinto

theU.S.onafrequentbasis.Finally,atthesouthernborder,thereadratesforthoseplateswithlicenseplates

mountedonlyontherearofthevehiclewerealllowerthanthosewith

dualplates.

Theabilitytoefficientlyprocessvehiclesatbordercrossingsisnotonlyanissueofcongestion,butalso

homelandsecurity.ItwouldbeimpossibletoprocessallofthecrossingseffectivelywithouttheuseofALPR

technology.Additionally,thetechnologyallowstheU.S.CustomsandBorderProtectiontoload

licenseplates

thatareknowntobeconnectedtosecurityrisksaswellascriminalactivity[16].InJuly2012,thefederal

governmentissuedarequestforinformation(ALPRtechnology)insupportoftheDrugEnforcement

Administration(DEA),alongwithCBP,NationalLicensePlateReader(LPR)Initiative[17].Thisprovides

further

proofthatALPRtechnologyisthewaveofthefutureintermsofvehicleidentification.Checkingeachplate

manuallywouldnotbepossiblewithoutlonglinesandadditionalpersonnel.SinceALPRtechnologyisacritical

toolinbordersecurity,itstandstoreasonthatstatesshouldgivethefederalenforcement

officersanypractical



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage68

toolthatcanimprovetheefficiencyandeffectivenessoftheiroperations.Dualplatesseemtobealowcosttool

toaddresstheseissues.



RevenueCollection:TollingandParking

Althoughtherewerenotspecificexamplesintheliteraturerelatedtovehicleidentificationfromtherevenue

generationperspective,itisimportant

tonotethatlicenseplatesdo serveacriticalneedinthetollingand

parkingindustries.ALPRcanbeusedbytollingagenci estotrackviolatorsandtoautomaticallycollecttolls,

thoughregulartollcollectionismorecommonlyaccomplishedusingtolltags/transponders.ALPRsystemsare

generallypositionedtothesideof

oraboveroadwaylanesjustpasttollingplazas/checkpointstophotograph

vehicleplates.Similarly,parkingfa cilitiesthatchargebythehourordaycanuseALPRtoverifywhenvehicles

enterandleaveafacility.



CaseStudiesandDataAnalysisfromtheFieldStudies

TheresearchteamtravelledtotheMid

‐AtlanticandSouthwesternstatestointe rviewstakeholdersrelatedto

lawenforcement,tolling,andhomelandsecurity.Giventhecloseproximityofthestatesinthatregion,the

researchteamwasabletovisitotherareasadjacenttothetargetstates.Theresearchteamsurveyedmultiple

parkinglots,garages,andotherlocations

inseveraljurisdictionsinArizona,Maryland,Pennsylvania,andTexas.

Theteamtabulatedthenumberofcarsinthosefacilitiesandthepercentageofthosecarswithvisiblelicense

plates.Thereweremorethan9000vehiclesobservedduringthistaskversesthe2500originallyprojectedatthe

beginningofthisstudy.



TheresearchteamtestedtheabilityofALPRsystemstoidentifyvehiclesbasedonfrontandrearlicenseplates

undervariousconditions.TheobservationsutilizedALPRsystemscurrentlydeployedbythelawenforcement

agenciesthatparticipatedintheproject‐researchersrode‐alongwithselectedofficerstoconductsomeofthe

observations.

Carewastakentoincludeofficerswho primarilydealwithtrafficrelatedenforcement(e.g.state

patrol)aswellasthoseofficerswhoengageinmoregeneralpatrolactivities(municipalandcounty).Aspartof

thistask,theresearcherrecordedhowvehicleswereidentified(frontlicenseplate,rearlicenseplate

orboth)

duringtheofficer’sshift.Duringthisprocessqualitati ve datawasgatheredfromtheofficersandother

stakeholderstoaugmentthequantitativedata.



Thefollowingsectionprovidesdatafromspecific states and jurisdictions.Theresearchteamcollecteddataand

interviewedindividualsrelatedtoenforceme nt,tolling,parkingandhomelandsecurity.

Theseobservations

serveaspracticalexamplesofthoseapplicationsthatwerefoundintheliterature.



GeneralEnforcement

ThelawenforcementagenciesinterviewedinthisstudythatuseALPRsystemsdidnotusethetechnologyonall

patrolvehiclesatthetimeofthisreportduetotheexpenseofthesystems,

thoughseveralindicatedthatthey

wouldbeinfavorofexpandingtheiragency’sALPRcapabilities,basedonthebenefitsthathavebeenrealized

fromtheunitstheyhave.ThepurchaseandmaintenanceofALPRunitsareoftenfundedthroughcompetitive

grantsthatarespecificallyfocusedonreducingcertaintypesof

crimes,suchasstolenvehicles.Otherfunding

sourcesthatwerementionedbylawenforcementagenciesincludehomelandsecurityfunding,especiallyfor

agenciesclosetoWashington,D.C.,andalocalcommunitygrantthatwasrepaidviatheincreasedcollectionof



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage69

parkingfines.ThespecificfundingsourceforalawenforcementoperatedALPRunitoftendictatestheunits

primaryuse/assignmentwithinthatagency–e.g.,anALPRsystempurchasedwithastolen‐vehiclesgrantwillbe

installedonapatrolvehiclewithintheagency’sstolen‐vehicleunit,andALPRunitspurchasedwith

Homeland

Securityfundsarelikelytobepositionedatlocationswherevehicleswillbecrossingadefinedbordersor

perimeters.



However,innearlyallcases,ALPRunitsaretoalertofficersandagenciestolicensepla tesassociatedwithother

outstandingcrimesaswell.Theinterviewedagencieshavemadeuseof

ALPRsystems,individuallyornetworked

acrossregionsorstates,totrackAmberandSilveralerts,tofindvehiclesandpeoplecon nectedwithcrimesthat

havebeenreportedlocallyorlistedintheNationalCrimeInformationCenter(NCIC),andforenforcementof

suspendedvehicleregistrations,insuranceviolations,andoutstandingtrafficand

parkingwarrants.AsALPR

becomesmorewidespreadandtechnologycostsdecrease,itislikelythatagencieswilladopttheunitsmore

widelyacrosstheirpatrolandroadwaysurveillanceoperations.



MarylandStatePolice:DualPlatesandALPRCreatesanEffectiveEnforcementPartnership

Marylandisatwoplatestatethatisbordered

bythreesingleplatestates,Pennsylvania,WestVirginia,and

Delaware,andtwodualplatestates,VirginiaandtheDistrictofColumbia.Thisgeographiclocationmakesfor

somechallengesforenforcementandsecurityconcerns.



MarylandisasmallstatewithmanychallengesincludingtheproximityofthestatetotheDistrictof

Columbia

(criticalhomelandsecurity issues),areasofhighcrimerates,andadiversesetofvehiclesthatutilizetheir

roadways.ThereisagreatdealofinterstatetrafficbetweenMaryland,VirginiaandtheDistrictofColumbiaso

thestatedependsonbothfrontandrearplatestoaddressthesechallenges. 



TheMarylandStatePolice(MSP)departmentcurrentlyoperates20vehiclesequippedwithALPRunits,andwill

beaddingmoreunitstoitsfleetsoon,withthegoalofhavingatleastoneALPRmobile unitperbarrack/district.

Inaddition,severalfixedALPRunitsaremountedtoscantrafficlanesat

selectedhigh‐trafficlocationsinthe

state.ThestatepoliceuseALPRtoassistinlocatingstolenvehicles,stolenlicenseplates,SilverandAmber

alerts,Goldalerts(adultswhoarevulnerableduetomentalillnessorotherimpairment),othermissingpeople,

andpeoplewantedinconnectionwithacrime.Severallocal

jurisdictionsinMarylandalsouseALPRtolookfor

suspendedregistrations,insuranceviolations,andoutstandingtrafficwarrants.



TheMSP’smobile(vehicle‐mounted) units includetwoforward‐facingcameras,oneeachontherightandleft

sidesontopofthevehicle.Theleft‐handcamerareadstwolanestothe

leftofthepolicevehicletoreadplates

ofoncomingtraffic;theright‐handcamerareadsonelanetotheright,towidenthecamera’sdetectionfieldand

maximizetheabilitytoidentifyparkedvehiclesontherightsideoftheroad.



Thestatepolicemobileunits,thefixedunits,

andanyALPRunitsbeingoperatedbymunicipalandcountypolice

jurisdictionsinMarylandareallcentrallynetworked.MobileunitscanmonitorfixedALPRunitsinrealtime.

Eachunitdownloads anupdatedlistofplatenumberstwicedailyfromtheNationalCrimeInformationCenter

(NCIC)andthestateMotorVehicle

Administration;inaddition,emergencynotifications(suchasAmber,Silver,



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage70

orGoldalerts)canbemanuallyenteredandpushedbythenetworkingcentertoallALPRunitsinrealtime

ratherthanwaitingforthenextNCICdownload.



Beyondtheimmediatealertstoofficer s intheALPR‐equippedvehicles,thecollectedlicenseplatedatahasbeen

ofenormousbenefitto

criminalinvestigations.Suspectsandwitnessestocrimescanbefoundmuchmore

quickly,basedonpreviousreadsoftheirvehiclesduringroutinepatrols.Vehiclesthatmaybeconnectedwith

HomelandSecurityalertscanbetrackedastheycrosshighwaysmonitoredbythefixedALPRunits.Theabilityto

pushemergencyalerts

outtoallALPRunitsisvaluableaswell;avehicleassociatedwitharecentAmberalert

wastrackedwithin40minutesofthealertbeingposted.



Lancaster,Pennsylvania:ASmallTownwithManyTourists

Pennsylvaniaisasingleplatestatewithamajorturnpikerunningeasttowest.There

areanumberofcitiesin

Pennsylvania,buttherearealsoaconsiderablenumberofruralroadwaysinthestate.TheSouthCentraltown

ofLancasterhasapproximately60,000peoplewithseveralmajortouristdestinationsintheimmediateareaso

thereisagreatdealoftrafficcreatedbeyondthelocal

community.Althoughtheenforcementresourcesin

Pennsylvaniahaveadaptedtoonlyhavingonelicenseplateforthemajorityofthevehiclestheyencounter,itis

stillachallengetoidentifyoncomingtrafficand man yofthevehiclesparkedinthelocalarea.



Thelocalpolicedepartmenthastwovehicles

that

areequippedwithAL PRcameras:one

unmarkedcarthatisusedbyCommunity

ServiceAidswhopatrolforparking‐violation

scofflaws,andonecarthatisusedbytheauto

theftunit(regularpatrolcarasseenonthe

right).EachofthetwoALPR‐equippedcarshas

twocameras

mountedontheleftandright;

thecameraslockintoplaceata45‐degree

angleforwardora45‐degreeanglebackward,

butcanalsobepositioned,unlocked,toa

90‐degreeangletomoreeasilyreadplatesina

parkinglot.Thetwocamerashaveslightly

differentfieldsof

view–theleft(driver)sidecamerahasanarrowerfieldbutalongerrangethatisuseful for

scanningthefarther‐awayleftsideofaroad,andtheright(passenger)sidecamerahasawiderfieldbuta

shorterrange.Thecamerasarealsofairlyeffectiveatscanning

multiplelanesoftraffic.



Eachdayanupdatedlistoflicenseplatenumbersassociatedwithstolencarsandparkingviolationscofflawsis

receivedfromtheCommonwealthLawEnforcementAssistanceNetwork(CLEAN)anduploadedtotheALPR

system.BetweenJanuary1,2012andlateApril2012,over300,000plateswereread

bythetwoALPR‐equipped 

vehicles;theLancasterBureauofPolicehasatotalof1.3millionimagesstored(thosereadsinceOctober2011).



ItisdifficulttopinpointdifferencesinthenumberofvehicletheftsbeforeandaftertheintroductionoftheALPR

systemsinLancaster;thisisinpart

duetoothercrime‐preventioncamerasimplementedthroughoutthecityin



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage71

recentyearsbytheLancasterCommunitySafetyCoalition.Thesecombinedeffortshavegreatlydecreased the

overallcrimeratesinthecity.However,thetheftoflicenseplateshasdecreasedsharplysincetheALPR

systemsbeganoperation.TheALPRsystemusedforparkingenforcementpaidforitselfin threemonths

becauseof

increasedcollectionofoutstandingparkingfines.



PennsylvaniaTurnpikeCommission:HowFrontPlatesCouldAssistinTrackingViolations

ThePennsylvaniaTurnpikeusesALPRsystems

forrevenuecollectionandtotracktolling

violations.Vehiclesthathavetraveledthe

Turnpikewithoutpayingthetollaretrackedand

theirownerscontactedforpayment,though

the

Turnpikecurrentlyhasnorealauthorityto

enforcepayment.TheTurnpike’sALPRcameras

arepositionedsothatpicturescanbetakenof

thefrontandrearofaviolatingvehicle

(approximatelyvehiclewidth)fromadistanceof

17feet.Typically,whenavehiclecrosses

detectionpointsontheTurnpike

withoutanEZ

Passtransponder,orwithoutpayingatollatone

ofthetollbooths,thecamerasaretriggered.

Severalimagesaretakenofasingleplatesothat

thesystemhasmultipleopportunitiestoscan

andinterprettheplate’snumber;thesystem

usuallycapturesatleasttwopicturesofthe



vehicle’sfront(fortrucks)andfourtofivepicturesoftherearplate,andmaytake16ormoreimagesofagiven

plate.



Forpassengervehicles,theTurnpikeCommissiontriestoobtainareadablepictureoftherearplate(toavoid

includingthedriverinthephotograph);fortrucks

thepracticeistoobtainareadablepictureofthefrontofthe

vehicle,sincetheplateofconcernisonthetractorratherthanthetrailer.Theclearestpictureisthenselected

tocopyandincludewiththeviolationnoticethatissenttothevehicleowner.



Evenwith

themultipleimages,itisnotalwayspossibletoseeorreadagivenvehicle’splate.Thepositionofthe

plate,especiallyontrucks,maybeoutofthecamera’scapturewindow(oftendue todeliberatepla cementby

truckdriverstocircumventtollcollections),andtheplateitselfmaybe

difficulttoreadbecauseitssurface

conditionorbecausetheimageistoodark,particularlyatnight.



TheALPRsystemconfidencelevelisconfiguredat85%.Inall,anaverageof16%ofplatescapturedbythe

camerasaspotentialviolationsarevoidedduringtheidentificationprocess,andanother3%are

voidedduring

theappealsprocess.Thislevelofaccuracyisachievedusingbothplateswhenavailable.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage72

InternationalandMulti‐StateInfluence:ElPasoandHorizonCityPolice

Thesecondmostpopulousstate,Texasrequirestwolicenseplates.Thestateishometofiveofthetwenty 

largestcitiesintheUnitedStatesandalsohasthelongestinternationalborderofanystate.Oneoftheareasthe



projectwantedtofocusonwastheElPasoregionwhichisuniquebasedonitssignificantinternational,military,

andbi‐cityrelationshipwithLasCruces,NewMexico.Texasisamajortransportationhubwithseveralsections

ofinterstateroadwaysconnectingtheeastandwestcoastsaswellasI‐

35whichrunsnorthandsouthdirectly

throughthecenterofthecountryconnectingfromCanadatoMexico.



TheElPasoPoliceDepartmenthasusedALPRsince2006,andcurrentlyoperates23mobileunitswith ALPR.

Besidesthemobileunits,theElPasoPolicealsoownsixALPR‐equippedtrailers

thatcanbeparkedalongsidea

roadway.Thetrailersincludearadarsystemand“yourspeedis”displaythatfacesapproachingtraffic,whilethe

ALPRcameraispositionedontheoppositesidetoreadrearlicenseplatesasvehiclespassit.Whilethelicense

platereadsfromthetrailer‐mountedcameras

donotprovideinstantfeedbacktopatrolofficersasdothe

vehicle‐mountedALPRs,theyprovideadditionaldatatothedepartment’sanalysts.



NearbyHorizonCityhasoneALPR‐equippedpatrolcarinits20‐vehiclepolicefl eet.InformationfromNCICand

theTexasCrimeInformationCenter(TCIC)aredownloadeddaily,

andcanalsoberefreshedwirelesslyon

demandwhilethevehicleispatrolling.LicenseplatereadsfromHorizonCityareuploadedtotheElPasoPolice

databaseforstorageandanalysis.



TheALPRtechnologyusedbybothofth ese agenciesisequippedwithonecameraperunit; thecameracan

be

mountedanywhereandfacinganydirection,butthemostcommonorientationforavehicle‐mountedcamerais

totheforwardrightofthepatrolvehicle,forreadingplatesonparkedcars.TheorientationofHorizonCity’s

ALPRunitcanonlybechangedmanuallyfromoutsidethecar;theunits

inElPasocanbepannedandtilted

electronicallyfrominsidethevehicle.FutureALPRsystemsfortheElPasoPolicedepartmen taregoingto

includetwocamerasperunittobeabletoreadforwardandbackwardsimul taneously.



BothdepartmentsuseALPRtotrackstolenvehicles,vehiclesassociatedwith

othercrimes,andvehicles

belongingtosexoffenders.Theunitscanalsohelptrackuninsure dvehiclesorvehicleswithexpired

registrations.



PhoenixMetroArea,Arizona:LocalPoliceAgenciesandtheImpactofVehicleIdentification

Arizonaisasingleplatestatewithtwomajormetropolitanareas,PhoenixandTucson.LikeTexas,Arizona

hasa

significantinternationalpresencebasedonitsborderwithMexico.ItisalsoboardedbyNewMexico,California,

Nevada,Utah,andsharesitsnortheastcornerwithColorado.Thestatehasseveralinternationalcrossingsas

wellasmajorinterstatethoroughfares runningeastandwest.



ThePhoenixPoliceDepartmenthasbeen

usingALPRsince2004andcurrentlyhasatotaloffourALPRunits;one

isassignedtotheAutoTheftunit,onetoparkingenforcement,andtwotogen eralpatrol.ThePhoenixALPR

unitseachincludethreevehicle‐mountedcameras,twofacingforwardtotheleftandright,andathird

facingto

therightofthepatrolvehicleforreadingplatesinaparkinglot.Thetwoforward‐facingcamerascanreadupto



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage73

twolanesoneithersideofthepatrolvehicle(threelanesarepossible,butaccuracydiminishes).Thesidefacing

camerascansapproximatelysixtoninefeet,oralittlelessthanonelanewidth,totherightofthepatrolvehicle.



Glendale’sdepartmentoriginallyacquiredALPRunits in2006,spec ificallyto

trackstolenvehicles;the

departmentisnowusingitssecondgenerationoffourALPRunits,andtheirusehasexpand ed togeneralpatrol

activitiesaswellascontinuingtotrackstolenvehiclesandstolenlicenseplates.Glendale’smobileunitseach

havetwoforward‐facingandtwobackward‐facingcameras.Thecameras

canbeplaced indifferent

configurations,butareusuallysetuptoreadplatesonparkedvehiclestothesideofthepatrolvehicle.



Inbothcities,anywherebetweenafewdozenandafewthousandplatesmaybereadbyanALPRunitona

givenday,dependingon

thevehicle’spatrolpattern.InApril2012,thefourALPR‐equippedvehiclesinPhoenix

readatotalof62,833licenseplates,averaging523platesreadperunitperday.ThePhoenixPDcurrentlyhas

abouttwomillionplatesinitsdatabase;Glendalepurgeditsolddatain2010aftergetting

newsoftwareforits

ALPRsystemwhichcouldnotreadthepreviously collecteddata,andcurrentlyhasapproximately280,000plates

initsdatabase.



PhoenixSkyHarborAirport:ReadingLicensePlatesTranslatestoRevenue

Parkingrevenuesarethesecond

highestrevenuesourceforSky

Harbor,followingonlyairline

revenues.Beforetheeconomic



downturnin2008,SkyHarbor

reached$80millionperyearin

parkingrevenues,andrevenues

arebeginningtoclimbback

towardthatlevelagainasof

2012.Eachofthe65entryand

exitlanesforairportparkingat

SkyHarboraremonitoredwith

anALPRcamera,positionedto

photograph

thevehicle’srear

plate.Theobjectiveistoprovide

avisualrecordofeveryvehicleenteringandleavingtheparkingfacilitiesinordertopreventfraudand ensure

thatcorrectparkingrevenuesarecollectedfromeachcustomer.



Onaverage,10,000parkingtransactionsperyear(atanaveragevalueof$30

pertransaction)relyontheALPR

readstodetermineaccuratecharges;mostoftheseareduetolosttickets,andwiththerecordprovided bythe

ALPRreadofagivenvehicleuponentry,thecorrectchargecanbedetermined.Lesscommonly,attempted

fraud,falselylostticketsandswappedtickets,can

bedetectedandprevented.AlsobecauseoftheALPRsystem,

thenumberofvehiclesstolenfromSkyHarborparkingfacilitieshasdecreasedsignificantlyinrecentyears.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage74

Thesystemaccuracyonplatesthatarereadis85%(rearplatesonlyinthecurrentconfiguration).Typically,

10‐15%oflicenseplatesenteringorexitingthefacilities can notbereadbythesystem,mostoftenbecauseof

sunglare.Toremedytheproblem,canopiesareplacedoverthereaderlocation

tominimizeearly‐morningand

late‐afternoonglareoffofrearplatesasvehiclesenterthefacility.Currently,becausesofewvehiclesentering

theparkingfacilitydisplayafrontlicenseplate,itisnotcost‐effectivetoaddasecondcameratoeach

entrance/exitlane.



Tobackuptheinformation

providedbytheentry/exitALPRreads,amanuallicenseplateinventory(LPI)is

conductedofoneoftheairport’sfourparkingfacilitieseachweek.Onanaveragenight14,000vehiclesare

parkedintheairport’sfourparkingfacilities.InatypicalLPI,approximately200platescanbeinventoriedper

man‐hour.

Dependingonthesizeandvehicleoccupancyofthefacilitybeinginventoried,anLPIcantake

betweentwoand15man‐hours.Typically,oneoutofeveryeightvehicles(12.5%)isparkedtail‐in,generally

requiringthepersonconductingtheLPItowalkaroundtotherearofthevehicle

toreadtherearplatebecause

mostvehiclesintheareadonothaveafrontplate.Becauseofthesignificantpercentageofvehicleswithout

visibleplatesduetotail‐inparking,theparkingfacilitystaffcannotperformtheirauditusingthemobileALPR

unittodouble‐checkinventories.



VEHICLE

IDENTIFICATION:ESTIMATINGTHEEFFECTSOFFRONTPLATES

Ascanbeseeninthecasestudies,agencieswilladjusttheirvehicleiden tificationproceduresandtheiruseof

ALPR(whereapplicable)toaccommodateexistingconditionsasmuchaspossible.Instateswhereamajorityof

vehiclesdonothavefrontplates,ALPRsystems

aremorelikelytobesetuptocapturerearplates.Furthermore,

thelawenforcementagenciesinterviewedinbothone‐andoneplate statesdonottendtotrackthenumberof

frontplatesversusrearplatesthatarecapturedduringpatrols.Forthesereasons,theexactbenefitoffro nt

platesinimprovingvehicleidentificationis difficulttocalculate.However,twovehicleidentificationscenarios

thatarecommontomostoftheinterviewedagenciesweresimulatedbytheresearchteam’scountsoflicense

platesonparkedandmovingvehiclesineachofthefourcasestudystates.



IdentifyingParkedVehicles

The

firstscenarioistheidentificationofvehiclesthatareparkedperpendiculartoadrivinglaneinaparkinglot.

Becausesomepercentageofvehiclesarelikelytobeparkedtail‐in,thepresenceorabsenceoffrontplateswill

helptodeterminethepercentageofvehiclesthatcanbeidentifiedusing

amobileALPRunit.Fortheparkinglot

vehiclecountsinthisstudy,theresearchteamcountedthetotalnumberofvehiclesaswellasthetotalnumber

oflicenseplatesthatfacedthedrivinglanesbetweentherowsofparkingspaces(rearorfrontplates,depending

onwhethereach

vehiclewasparkedtail‐outortail‐in),simulatingtheALPRcameraconfigurationsandranges

usedbymostofthelawenforcementagenciestoreadplatesonparkedcars.



Basedontheparkinglotplatecounts(SeeTable6),ALPR‐assistedpatrolsoftheparkinglotssampledin

Marylandand

Texaswouldhavetheopportunitytoreadlicenseplateson97%ofthevehiclesparkedthere.In

contrast,similarpatrolsofthesampledlotsinPennsylvaniaandArizonawouldbeabletocapturetheplatesof

(onaverage)only76%oftheparkedvehicles.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage75

Table 6. Parked Vehicle Counts. (Mixed front and rear plates)

State City/Location Date/Time

Total

Vehicles

with

Visible

Plates

% with

Visible

Plates

MD Jessup Wednesday,

4/11/12,10:34a.m.

211 205 97%

MD HanoverLot#1 Wednesday,

4/11/12,2:43p.m.

198 196 99%

MD HanoverLot#2 Wednesday,

4/11/12,2:53p.m.

1855 1794 96%

TX ElPaso Tuesday,4/24/12,

4:15–4:40p.m.

1129 1049 93%

TX CollegeStationLot#1 Saturday,6/23/12,

12:15p.m.

167 165 99%

TX CollegeStationLot#2 Saturday,6/23/12,

12:40p.m.

271 268 99%

TX CollegeStationLot#3 Saturday,6/23/12,

1:15p.m.

261 258 99%

TX CollegeStationLot#4 Saturday,6/23/12,

1:45p.m.

1298 1276 98%

TotalforMarylandandTexas(2‐platestates) 5390 5210 97%

PA LancasterLot#1 Thursday,4/12/12,

11:30a.m.‐12:15

332 259 78%

PA LancasterLot#2 Thursday,4/12/12,

1:30p.m.‐2:30p.m.

1812 1288 71%

AZ Tempe Tuesday,5/22/12,

1:25‐2:30p.m.

1607 1317 82%

TotalforPennsylvaniaandArizona(1‐platestates) 3751 2864 76%



Whenlawenforcementorparkingpersonnelassessaparkinglotforstolenvehicles,parkingviolations,etc.,

theycaneitherusestaffresourcestopersonallyconducttheauditorALPRtechnology.Regardlessofthe

methods,thelicenseplatemustbevisibleinordertoberead.Itisevidentthattheuse

offrontplatesincreases

theopportunityfortheseindividualstoperformtheir worktasksand,insomecases,increasetheirrevenue.



IdentifyingMovingVehicles

Thesecondscenarioisidentification ofvehiclesthatareinmotion–onaroadway,crossingthroughatollplaza,

crossingoveraborder,orenteringor

leavingaparkingfacility.ALPRcamerasmaybemountedonpatrol

vehicles,toportabletrailers,ortostationarystructures.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage76

Themoving‐vehiclelicenseplatecountsconductedbytheresearchteamwereofoncomingtraffic,comparing

thetotalnumberofvehiclestothenumberoffrontlicenseplates(withtheassumptionthatvirtuallyallvehicles

inallfourstateswouldbeequippedwithrearplates).AscanbeseeninTable

7,thehighestpercentagesof

vehicleswithfrontplateswereseenonroadwaysthatbeganandendedwithintheoneplatestatesofMaryland

andTexas.ThishighpercentageoffrontplatesisseenevenatthebordercrossingbridgebetweenTexasand

Mexico.Thehighwaysspanningtheoneplate

stateofMarylandandtheoneplatestateofPennsylvania,not

surprisingly,carriedamixtureofvehiclesfrombothstates,aswellasseveralotherneighboringstates.This

mixtureresultedinvaryingpercentagesofvehicleswithfrontplates(39%upto66%),withanaverageof58%of

observedvehiclesacross

thethreehighwaysdisplayingafrontplate.Researchersobservedthatthese

percentagestendedtoshiftupanddownonthesehighwaysdependingonthelocationrelativetothe

Maryland‐Pennsylvaniastateline.TheroadwaysthatwerecontainedwithinPennsylvaniaandArizonacarried

thelowestpercentageofvehicleswithfrontplates,

averaging22%.



Amongtheagenciesinterviewedforthecasestudies,theoverallaccuracyoftheALPRsystems(i.e.,the

percentageofaccuratereadsofplatesthatarecapturedbythecameras)rangesfrom85to92percent.Thelaw

enforcementagenciesthatwereinterviewedinthecasestudystatesdonot

generallytrackthenumbersof

vehiclesthatarephotographedfromtherearversusthefrontorthepercentageofvehiclesthatarenot

capturedatallbyALPRsystemsduetoalackofafrontplate.



PhoenixSkyHarborAirportis,however,abletocomparethetotalnumberof

vehiclesthatenteritsfourparking

facilitiestothenumberofplatesthataresuccessfullyread.TheALPRcamerasateachentrancearesetupto

capturerearplatesonly,andapproximately10to15percentofthoseplatesarenotcapturedbythecameras.

SincetheALPRsystemachievesapproximately

85%accuracyonplatesthatarecaptured,thismissing

percentageofcapturedplateslowerstheactualaccuracyoftheplatereadstobetween72and77percent.The

vastmajorityoftheseunreadplatesareduetothelimitationsofthesinglecameraarrangementdictatedbythe

absenceoffront

platesonmostlocalvehicles.IfallvehiclesenteringSkyHarbor’sfacilityhadfrontplatesaswell

asrearplates,asecondcameraplacedtocapturefrontplateswouldhelptoachievenearly100%captureand

thusraisetheoverallaccuracyofthesystemtothedesiredlevel.



Evenif

amajorityofvehiclesenteringSkyHarbor’sparkingfacilitieshadafrontplate(suchasthe85to94

percentofvehiclesobservedonroadwaysinTexasandMaryland),theaddedreadsfromatwo‐camera

configurationcouldsignificantlyimprovethecapturerateforvehicleidentification.Itislikelythatthe

abilityto

capturebothfrontandbackplateswouldsimilarlyimprovethecapturerateinothermoving‐vehicle

environmentssuchaslawenforcementpatrols.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage77

Table 7. Moving Vehicle Counts. (Front plates only)

State City/Roadway Date/Time

Total

Vehicles

Front

Plates

% with

Front

Plates

MD CityofElkridge,W.NurseryRd

@WintersonRd

Monday,4/9/12,

9:50‐10:55a.m.

652 578 89%

MD I‐97,BaltimoretoAnnapolisto

Baltimore

Monday,4/9/12,

9:30‐11:00a.m.

2123 1822 85%

TX HorizonCity,HorizonRoad Monday,4/23/12,

9:57–10:15a.m.

250 229 92%

TX ElPaso,SanPauloSt.  Monday,4/23/12,

2:20‐2:50p.m.

718 634 88%

TX ElPaso,StantonSt.

InternationalBridge

Tuesday,4/24/12,

11:50a.m.‐12:20

180 161 89%

TX College Station,TexasAve. Saturday,6/23/12,

6:30‐7:30p.m.

1009 952 94%

TotalforTexasandMaryland(2plates) 4932 4376 89%

MD/PA Highway97,Gettysburgto

Baltimore

Monday,4/9/12,

6:07‐6:29p.m.

615 407 66%

MD/PA I‐83,Baltimore,MDtoYork,

PA

Tuesday,4/10/12,

11:25‐11:45a.m.

241 127 53%

MD/PA Highway272,Lancasterto

Baltimore

Tuesday,4/10/12,

5:08‐6:10p.m.

220 86 39%

TotalforRoadsSpanningMarylandandPennsylvania 1076 620 58%

PA I‐30,YorktoLancaster Tuesday,4/10/12,

11:55‐12:10

584 188 32%

AZ I‐10PhoenixtoTucson Monday,5/21/12,

9:30‐10:30a.m.

2285 662 29%

AZ Phoenix,7thAve@

WashingtonSt.

Tuesday,5/22/12,

8:30‐8:50a.m.

683 22 3%

AZ Glendale,57thAve

@GlendaleRd.

Tuesday,5/22/12,

10:30–11:00a.m.

488 18 4%

TotalforPennsylvaniaandArizona(1plate) 4040 890 22%



Lawenforcement,tollingandhomelandsecurityapplicationsprocessdatafrommovingvehicles.Basedonthe

datafromthefieldstudiesitisevidentthatthelackofafrontplatehasanadverseaffectontheabilityto

identifyvehiclesthataremoving.





AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage78

STATELICENSEPLATEPOLICIES–RESULTSOFDMVINTERVIEWS

DepartmentsofMotorVehicles(DMVs)ineachstatewerecontactedbytelephoneand/oremail. 

Responseswereobtainedfrom33states–21statesthatmandatetwolicenseplatespervehicleand12states

thatmandateonlyarearplate.Table8lists

thestatesrepresentedbytheinterviewresponses.



Table 8. States Requiring One vs. Two Plates.

States Requiring Two Plates State Requiring Rear Plate Only

Alaska

California

Colorado

Hawaii

Idaho

Maine

Maryland

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

NewHampshire

Nevada*

Oregon

SouthDakota

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Wyoming



Alabama

Arkansas

Delaware

Georgia

Indiana

Kansas

Louisiana

NewMexico

NorthCarolina

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Note:The(*)indicatesthatalthoughtwoplatesareissuedinNevada,vehicleswithoutadesignatedspacefora

frontplatedonothavetodisplaythefrontplate.

ReasonsforLicensePlatePolicies(OneplateandOneplate)

OftheDMVrespondentsfromthe21statesthatcurrentlyrequiretwoplates,16(76%)indicatedthataprimary

reasonfortheestablishmentand/orretentionoftheoneplaterequirementwasgreatereaseofvehicle

identificationbylawenforcement.In2006

‐2007,Utahconsideredchangingfromatwoplatestoaoneplate,but

thischangewasnotapprovedbythelegislature.Ofthe12DMVrespondentsfromoneplatestates,five

attributedthepolicytocostconsiderations.InNewMexico,thedifficultyofenforcingtwoplatespercar(atone

pointlabelingplateswithfrontandreartopreventvehicleownersfromsplittingonesetofplatesbetweentwo

cars)alsofactoredintothedecisiontobeginrequiringonlyoneplate.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage79

LicensePlateandVehicleRegistrationCosts

Statedproductioncostsperplaterangedfrom$0.50to$5.65.Thesecostsarepassedonthevehicleowner,

usuallyaspartofthevehicleregistrationfees.Registrationfeesandthebasisforthemvariedwidelyfromstate

tostate,fromalowof$21.05in

Indianatoahighof$202inCalifornia.Severalstateschargeabaseregistration

fee,withadditionalfeesleviedbyindividualcounties.



Statesconsideringachangeinlicenseplaterequirements

Ofthe21respondentsfromstatescurrentlyrequiringtwoplates,onlyMaineindicatedthatlegislativeproposals

arecurrentlyunderconsideration

tochangetherequirementtooneplate.Anothertenoftherespondingone

platestateshavehadsimilarlegislationintroducedinpastyears.Theobjectiveoftheproposedlegislationinall

ofthesecasesistoreduceproductioncoststothestate.Inmostofthesestates,thecostissue

hasbeen

overriddenbytheneedsandpreferencesoflawenforcement.Twostates,NevadaandWyoming,havepassed

orareconsideringadifferentmodificationtotheoneplaterequirementforvehiclemodelsthatdonothavea

designatedspaceforafrontplate.Nevadastillissuestwoplatestoeveryvehicle

owner,butexemptsownersof

thesetypesofvehiclesfromdisplayingthefrontplate.Wyomingisconsideringlegislationwhichwouldallow

ownersofqualifyingvehiclemodelstoapplyforasimilarexemption,replacingthefrontplatewithafront

windshieldsticker.



Ofthe12respondentsfromoneplatestates,only

onehasrecentlyhadabillintroducedtorequiretwopl ates. A

billwasintroducedinNorthCarolina’sstatelegislatureinthe2006‐2007sessionbutwasunsuccessful.Law

enforcementinNewMexicohasrequestedthatsimilarlegislationbeintroducedinthatstate’slegislative

sessions,butnosuchbillhas

evermadeittothefloorforavote.



CONCLUSIONS

Basedontheliteratureandtheprojectfieldstudies,theidentificationofavehicleisacriticalneedforlaw

enforcementaswellastollingauthorities,parkingap plications,andhomelandsecurity.Themanual

identificationprocessisdependentonthelicense

plate,buttheindividual,especiallylawenforcementofficers,

mustuseothermeanstoreducethepoolofpotentialvehicles.Thisisaccomplishedbyusingthecolor,make,

and/ormodeltoreducethenumberofcarsthatwillhavetobeassessedbeforeidentifyingaparticularlicense

plate.Ithelpstohave

twolicensesplatesinthemanualprocess;itisnottheprimarymeansofidentification.

WiththeadventoftheAL PRtechnology,thelicenseplatebecomesaprimaryandhighlyefficientmeansof

vehicleidentification.ALPReliminatessomeofthemanualstepsinvolvedwithindentifyingandverifying

vehiclesthatmay

beinvolvedwithtrafficandtollingviolations,Amberorothersimilaralerts,homelandsecurity

concernsand/orstolenvehicles.Byutilizingfrontandrearplates,theopportunityforcorrectidentification

increases.Thisisthereasoningthatlawenforcementusestosupportissuanceoftwoplatesversusone.Alarge

partofpolicy

makingdependsonitsfiscalaspects.Thisstudyexaminedmultipleapplications:enforcement,

tolling,andparkingrelatedtothelocationofthelicenseplatesonvehicles.Inordertounderstandthefinancial

impactthatlicenseplateshaveonenforcement,theresearchteamdevelopedascenariotoillustratehowthe

useof

frontplatescanhelptosupporttheimplementationsoftheALPR.Ifastaterequiresfrontplatesandlaw

enforcementcanutilizeALPRtechnology,theofficerscanobservemorevehiclesthantheycanwithoutthe

cameras.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage80

InChicago,over25Kvehiclesstoleneveryyearandanaverageofthirtyarerecoveredeachmonth[18].The

ALPRtechnologycanreadupto10,000licenseplatesduringaneighthourshiftcomparedtoanofficerbeing

abletorunbetween10‐40vehicleplatesafterdesignatingavehicleas

suspicious.



Table 9. Chicago: Recovery of Stolen Vehicles with and without ALPR Technology.

Recovery of Stolen Vehicles/Year

Details WithoutALRP WithALPR

Laborcosts/year $40,000 $40,000

CostofALPRequipment/car3 cam eraunit  $16,550

10‐40plates/8hrshift

#ofplatesread/year 10,400

10,000plates/8hrshift 2,600,000

#ofstolencars/year 25,000 25,000

#ofstolencarsrecovered30vehicles/month 360 90,000

%ofstolencarsrecovered 1.44%

ThedataincludedinthetableaboveisbasedoninformationavailablefromALPRvendorsandjurisdictions.

Thereareapproximately25,000vehiclesstoleninChicago(Illinoisisatwo‐platestate)eachyearwithan

averageof30recoveredeachmonth.Itisestimatedthatanindividualofficercanreadand

identify10‐40during

an8hourshiftwhileapatrolcarequippedwithALPRtechnologycanidentifyapproximately10,000vehicle

platesduringthatsameshift.Ifweassumethattheseestimatesarereasonable,thenALPRtechnologycan

increasethenumberofplatereadsexponentiallyannuallywhichwillgiveofficers

thepotentialtoidentifyand

recoversignificantlymorestolenvehicles.ThisscenarioisnotintendedtopromotetheuseofALPRtechnology,

althoughitdoesassistinidentificationinanumberofdifferentapplications,butratherillustratethatfront

licenseplatesprovidemoreopportunitiestoidentifyvehicles.Theseopportunitiesarenot

limitedto

enforcement,butalsoincludetollingandparkingrevenue.



Halfofthefiftystateshaveatleastonemileoftollroad.Thosestatesareevenlysplitbetweenthosethat

requireoneortwoplates[6].Ofthosestateswithatleast100milesoftollroads,theone

platestatesrepresent

55%ofthetotaltollmiles.Asfiscalpressuresmount,automatingthetollingprocesswithALPRtechnologywill

soonbecometheonlyefficientmethodofcollectingtollsandidentifyingviolators.Thetollcollectionfocuseson

atransponderinteractionbetweenthefacilityandthevehicle.Incontrast,the

identificationofviolatorsandthe

pursuitoflostrevenuedependontheabilitytocapturethelicenseplateinformation.Basedontheliterature,

interviewsandfieldstudies,itcanbeconcludedthattwoplatesoffersignificantfiscalandprocessbenefitsto

enforcementandtollingintermsofrevenue.Thesebenefitsoutweigh

thecostassociatedwithissuingadditional

licenseplatesduetoassumingthecostofplatesispassedontotheownerofthevehicle.Oneoftheconcerns

relatedtotheuseoffrontplatesistheplacementofvehiclesthatarenotmanufacturedwithaplacetoattacha

frontplate.



Individualstatescoulddealwiththisissuebasedonthevehicletype.Thenumberofmilesoftollroadshas

increasedacrosstheUnitedStatesoninterstateandnon‐interstatehig hways.Generaltollroadsand

high‐occupancytollingfa cilitiesarebecomingpopularmeansofimprovingmobi lityandhelping

topayfor



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage81

constructionofnewroadsorupgradingofexistingroadways(SeeFigure1)[6].Withtheadventofthisapproach

totransportationinfrastructure,itseemsthatstatesshouldreconsidertheirplatepoliciesinordertoensurethe

efficienciesoftheimprovementsofourhighwayinfrastructure.



TollRoadMileage

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

Interstate

Non‐Interstate



Figure 1. Toll Road Miles in the United States [6].



Inadditiontotheramificationsofoneversustwoplatesinregardstotollroads,efficiencyrelatedtohomeland

securityshouldalsobeconsidered.Inatwoweekperiod,theborderpatrolassessedthereadratesonthe

northernborderbetweentheUnitedStatesandCanada.Inthisapplicationthe

readrates,usingALPR,across

seventeenlaneswerebetween86.9%and94.3%.Thelaneswhereonlytherearplateswerereadhadarangeof

86.9%‐90.8%whilethelaneswherebothplateswerereadresultedinarangeof90.8%‐94.7%.Clearlytheuseof

thefrontandrearAPLR

cameras,madeasignificantdifferenceinthereadrate.Consideringhowmanycarsare

processedthroughtheborder,itisimportantforthisprocesstobeasefficientaspossible.



ThecriticalityoffrontplatesinthetollingprocesswasechoedbyDaveKristickwhoistheDirectorofOperations



forE‐470PublicHighwayAuthorityinColorado.Inaninterviewaspartofthisstudy,heindicated:



“Coloradoisatwoplatestateanditmakesahugedifference.Thetwoplate

environmentiscrucialforpublicsafetyandrevenuepurposes.Youcannotaccomplish

mileagebasedfundingwithouta

twoplatevehiclesinceyoumustbeabletoidentify

thevehiclewhenothervehicleidentificationtechnologiesfail.Cashless,allelectronic

tollsystemsrelycompletelyonALPRsystems‐atthatpoint;youcan’tjustsayitis

aboutdeterrenceanymore,itisabouthowyouwillbestassureyourtoll

revenue[4].”



Initiallythepremiseofthisprojectfocusedonvehicleidentificationingeneralasitrelatestooneversustwo

licenseplates.Astheresearchteamprogressedthroughtheliteraturereviewandfieldwork,theaugmentation

oftheALPRtechnologybecameacentralconsideration.Theteamunderstandsthatnot

allstateshavetollingto

considerandmanyparkingfacilitiesstillrelyexclusivelyonpeopletomanagethebusinessaspects.Mostlaw

enforcementresources(officersand vehicles)arenotequippedwithALPRtechnology.Thatbeingsaid,as

ReportYear

Mileage



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage82

budgets(privateandpublic)arereducedand/orcomeunderincreasedscrutiny,alloftheseapplicationswill

havetoconsideralternatemeansofenforcingtraffic,pursuingviolations,maintaininghomelandsecurity,

addressingstolenvehicles,andusingautomationasameansofdeterrencetopreservesafetyandensurefiscal

responsibility.Usingtwolicenseplates

seemstobeasmallissuewhenyouexamineitinavacuum,butinreality

thespecificidentificationofavehicleisacriticalpartofhowtheUnitedStateswilladdresstheirtransportation

infrastructureinthenearfuture throughenforcementandtollingapplications.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage83

REFERENCES



1.Gregg,M.MacWillie,M.,&Ogura,G.(2010).Automatedphotoenforcementcountermeas ures:Fieldtrials

andcomparisons.InstituteofTransportationEngineersITEJournal.80(5),pp34‐38.



2.Smith,B.L.&Yook,D.(2009).Investigationofenforcementtechniquesandtechnologiestosupport

high‐occupancyvehicleandhigh‐occupancytoll

operations.VirginiaTransportationResearchCouncilVirginia

DepartmentofTransportationRichmondVirginia



3.VirginiaTollingLegislationWorkingGroup.(2010).DatafromtheReportoftheTollingLegislationWorking

Group(chapter839ofthe2010ActsofAssembly)–ReportdeliveredonDecember15,2010.



4.Kristick,D.(2012).Personalcommunication

WithDaveKristick,DeputyExecutiveDirectorandDirectorof

OperationsoftheE‐470PublicHighwayAuthorityinAurora,ColoradobeginningonJuly9,2012.



5.RTRTechnologies,LLC.PresentationforU.S.CustomsandBorderProtectionStudy:Effectsofrearonlyverses

front&rearlicenseplatesonALPRread

ratesandexclusionsatthenorthernandsouthernbordercrossingsby

lanetype.



6.FederalHighwayAdministration.(2011).OfficeofHighwayPolicyInformation,HighwayPerformance 

MonitoringSystem,TollFacilitatesintheUnitedStates:Bridges‐Toads‐Tunnels‐Ferries.Availableat

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/tollpage/

.AccessedonAugust6,2012.



7.JournaloftheSocietyofAutomotiveEngineers.(1925).License‐PlateStandardProposed.Availableat

http://www.sae.org/globalsections/sections/newslettermaterials/journal.htm

.AccessedonAugust6,2012.



8.Kustermann,M.LicensePlatesoftheWorld.Availableatwww.worldlicenseplates.com

.AccessedJuly6,2012.



9.Teigen,A.&Smallen,W.(2011).TransportationReview:Motorvehiclesregistrationandlicenseplates.

NationalConferenceofStateLegislatures.Denver,CO.Availableat

http://www.ncsl.org/documents/transportation/registration‐licenseplates2011pdf

.AccessedonJuly30,2012.



10.Lee,H.J.(2007).Recognitionofproceedingvehicleswithspecificinformation.InternationalJournalof

ComputationalIntelligenceResearch.3(1),pp36‐40.



11.Cox,O.(2003).Fromtheadministrator:Completetrafficstops.PoliceChief,70(90).Alexandria, VA.Available

at

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&art



icle_id=96&issue_id=092003

.AccessedonAugust2,2012.

12.Lum,C.,Merola,L.,Willis,J.,&Cave,B.(2010).Licenseplaterecognitiontechnology:Impactevaluationand

communityassessment.CenterforEvidenced‐BasedCrimePolicy,GeorgeMasonUniversity.Fairfax,VA.



AppendixE–TexasTrafficInstituteFrontLicensePlateResearchPage84

13.Vu,P.,Zuyeve,L.,Guensler,R.,Miller,J.,Slack,T.,&Roundtree,R.(2008).Enforcementstrategiesfor 

high‐occupancytolllanes.TransportationResearchBoardAnnualMeeting.



14.Availableat

http://www.worldexecutive.com/locations/north_america/usa/colorado/denver/denver_map_1.html

.Accessed

onJuly25,2012.



15.Availableathttp://lamujerobrera.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/border_map5.jpg

.AccessedonJuly5,2012.



16.Winkowski,T.StatementtotheHouse,CommitteeonHomelandSecurity,SubcommitteeonBorderand

MaritimeSecurity.Usingresourceseffectivelytosecureourborderattheportsofentry–Stoppingtheillicit

flowofmoney,guns,anddrugs.Hearing,April5,2011.Available

at

http://www.dhs.gov/news/2011/04/04/writtentestimony‐cbp‐house‐homeland‐security‐subcommittee‐border‐

and‐maritime;AccessedonAugust6,2012.



17.DrugEnforcementAdministration.(2012).SourcessoughtforNationalLicensePlateReader(LPR)Initiative.

Availableathttps://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=229ed1ed42042d7cb8326aaa03



973ed4&tab=core&_cview=1.

AccessedAugust5,2012.



18.Motorola’sAutomaticLicensePlateRecognition.Availableat

http://www.motorola.com/web/Business/Products/Software%20and%20Applications/P



ublic%20Sector%20Applications/Video%20Applications/Automatic%20License%20Plate



%20Recognition%20(ALPR)/_Documents/RC‐14‐2031A_.pdf

.AccessedonAugust5,

2012.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage85

A

ppendixF

NorthCarolinaStateUniversityStudyon

EffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPR

ThisAppendixpresentsfindingsfromastudyfundedbytheNorthCarolinaDepartmentof

Transportation’sDivisionofMotorVehiclesandconductedbyresearchersattheInstitutefor

TransportationResearchandEducationatNorthCarolinaStateUniv ersity.An experimentdesignedto

developacomprehensiveunderstandingofthereadabilityofNorthCarolina’slicense

plateswithan

AutomaticLicensePlateRecognitionsystemwasconducted.Thiseffortutilizedtwo infraredcamera

systemsfordatacollectioninacontrolledenvironmentinvolvingover900licenseplateswith25mph

testvehiclespeedsduringanighttimeevaluationonaclosedtesttrack.Standard‐issueand specialty

platetypes

wereincludedinthestudy,containingstandardandpersonalizedsyntaxwithvaryinglicense

plateagesandconditions.Thekeyfindingofthisresearchwasthatthecurrent,standardissue,standard 

syntaxlicenseplatehadthehighestcaptureandreadratesamongplatestestedinthisstudy.Factors

whichsubstantiallydecreasedthe

captureandreadrateswerepersonalizedsyntax,specialtylicense

plates,andthepresenceofstackedcharactersonaspecialtylicenseplate.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage86

EffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonAutomaticLicensePlateRecognition



DanielJ.Findley,PhD,PE

SeniorResearchAssociate

[email protected]

(919)515‐8564



ChristopherM.Cunningham,PE

SeniorResearchAssociate

[email protected]

(919)515‐8562



JeffreyC.Chang,EI

ResearchAssistant

[email protected]



KyleA.Hovey

ResearchAssistant

[email protected]



MichaelA.Corwin

ResearchAssistant

[email protected]



InstituteforTransportationResearchandEducation

NorthCarolinaStateUniversity

CentennialCampusBox8601

Raleigh,NC27695‐8601



RevisedVersionforAAMVAAutomatedLicensePlateReaderWorkingGroup

BasedonFinalReportDevelopedFor



NorthCarolinaDepartmentofTransportation

DivisionofMotorVehicles



August2012



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage87

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

Thistechnicalassistanceprojectreportdescribesthemethodologyofanexperimentdesignedto

developacomprehensiveandthoroughunderstandingofthereadabilityofNorthCarolina’slicense

plateswithanAutomaticLicensePlateRecognitionsystem.Thisresearchfocusedonlawenforcement

applicationsandutilizedtwoinfraredcamerasystemsfordatacollectionin

acontrolledenvironment.

Age,reflectivity,andconditionwillbeconsideredduringtheanalysisofthereadabilityofover900

licenseplates.Thefollowinglist summarizesthesettingsandconditionsoftheeffort:

 25mphtestvehicle

 Nighttimeevaluation

 Testtrack

 40’spacingoflicenseplates



9’lateraloffsetbetweenlicenseplatesandcamera

 Standard‐issueandspecialtyplatetypes

 Standardsyntaxandpersonalizedplates

 Varyinglicenseplateageandcondition



Thekeyfindingofthisresearchprojectisthatthecurrent,standardissue,blueinklicenseplatehasthe

highestcaptureand

readratesofalltheplatestestedinthisstudy.Factorswhichdecreasedthe

captureandreadrateswerepersonalizedsyntax,specialtylicenseplates,andthepresenceofstacked

charactersonaspecialtylicenseplate.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage88

INTRODUCTION

Automaticlicenseplaterecognition(ALPR)–alsoknownasauto maticnumberplaterecognition,

automaticvehicleidentification,carplaterecognition,andlicense‐platerecognition‐isavaluabletool

forlawenforcementagenciestoidentifyvehicles.Atypical,contemporaryALPRsystemusescameras

andinfraredlightingtocaptureimagesoflicenseplatesand

opticalcharacterrecognitiontotranslate

theimagesintotext.Thisautomationallowsalawenforcementagencytoautomatically scanthousands

oflicenseplatesadayandcomparetheplatestoagencydatabaseswithminimaleffortforofficers.For

ALPRsystemstobeeffectiveandefficient,licenseplatesmustbereadable

bythistechnology.However,

duetovariationsoflicenseplatesacrossjurisdictionsandthevarietyofpossibledesignswithina

jurisdiction,lawenforcementagenciesfacesomedifficultieswithcompleteandaccuratematchesof

licenseplates.

InNorthCarolina,thestandardissueplateincludesthreelettersandfournumbersembossedonthe



plate,separatedbyadashmarkwith“FirstinFlight”alongthetopborderand“NORTHCAROLINA”

alongthebottomborder.Thecurrentdesign,featuringblueink,hasbeeninusesince1983,exceptfor

aperiodoftimebetweenearly2007andlate2009,inwhichredinkwas

appliedtotheembossed

characters(Exhibit1).Inadditiontopersonalizedstandardissueplates,manyspecialtyplatesarealso

available,whichmayalsobecustomizedbythevehicle’sowner.Thestandardissuelicenseplateshave

consistent,expectedsyntax(threelettersandfournumbers),whilepersonalizedplatesintroduce

tremendousvariabilityfroma

vehicleowner’schoiceofletters,numbers,andsymbols.Additionally,the

fullbackgroundsavailableonsomespecialtyplatesdecreasethecontrastbetweenthebackgroundand

characters,furtherexacerbatingthetaskofcharacterrecognitiononlicenseplates.



Exhibit 1. Standard Issue NC License Plates [Current Issue (left) and 2007 to 2009 Issue (right)]

RESEARCHOBJECTIVEANDSCOPE

Theprimaryobjectiveofthisresearchwastodevelopacom prehensiveandthoroughunderstandingof

thereadabilityofNorthCarolina’slicenseplateswithanALPRsystem.Thisresearchfocusedonlaw

enforcementapplicationsandutilizedtheCityofRaleighPoliceDepartment’sinfraredALPRsystemand

aFederalSignal/PIPSResearch

andDevelopment’sALPRsystemfordatacollectioninacontrolled

environment.Age,reflectivity,contrastratio,andconditionofthelicenseplateswereconsidered

duringtheanalysisofthereadabilityofthelicenseplates.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage89

LITERATUREREVIEW

ThedeploymentofanALPRsystemforidentifying,reading,andcomparingtorelevantdatabases

numerousvehiclesinthevicinityoftheequipmentofferspromisingefficienciesandeffectivenessfor

lawenforcementagencies.Thisliteraturereviewsummarizesthetechnologyandtechniquesemployed

byALPRsystems,aswellas,applicationsofALPRsystems.



AUTOMATICDETECTIONANDRECOGNITION

Thedevelopmentofimageprocessingtoolsandalgorithmsforrecognizingandreadinglicenseplates

hasbeencriticalfortherefinementandimprovementofALPRsystems.Inbroadterms,therearethree

essentialstepsintheprocessofidentifyingaspecificlicenseplatealphanumericsequence:1)identifying

thelicenseplate(asopposed

tootherpartsofthevehicleorroadsigns),2)identifyingand separating

licenseplatecharacters,and3)recognizingeachcharacter.Kimetal.(1996),Changetal.(2004),Duan

etal(2005),OzbayandErcelebi(2005 ),andDaramolaetal.(2011)eachdevelopedmethodsthat

addressoneormore

ofthefundamentalstepsofidentifyinglicenseplatecharacters.



Inexperimentaltesting,systemsdesignedtoautomaticallydetectlicenseplatesandrecognize

charactershaveproducedreliableresultsinthemajorityofthetestsamples.Kimetal.(1996)applieda

geneticalgorithmto70licenseplatesinKoreawitha93%

extractionrate.Changetal.(2004)obtained

a94%successrateapplyingALPRalgorithmstoover1,000licenseplatesinTaiwan.OzbayandErcelebi

(2005)achieveda93%recognitionrateonasampleof340licenseplatesinTurkey.Duanetal.(2005)

evaluatedanautomatedsystemwith805licenseplates

inVietnamandfoundasystemaccuracyof93%.

Daramolaetal.(2011)tested100licenseplateimagesfrom50vehicleswitharesulting98%recognition

rate.



Thesyntax,ortheexpectedorderoflettersandnumbers,ofthecharactersonthelicenseplateisa

criticalaspectinfluencingthe

readabilityofalicenseplate.Errorsinthepredictedcharacterscanarise

duetothesimilaritiesofsomecharacters,particularlybetweennumbersandletters.Theseerrorsare

mostprevalentinthecaseofpersonalizedlicenseplatesorwhensyntaxrulesallowforlettersand

numbersinthesamepositionon

alicenseplate.PreviousresearchfromChangetal.(2004)andOzbay

andErcelebi(2005)supportthisconclusionwiththemostlikelyerrorsoccurringbetweenthefollowing

characters:Band8,EandF,DandO,Dand0,Oand0,1and7,Sand5,Zand

2(OzbayandErcelebi

2005).Fiveoftheeightcombinationsarematchesbetweenlettersandnumbers,supportinganeedfor

syntaxtoreadplatesconsistently.



ALPRIMPLEMENTATIONANDAPPLICATIONS

PlotnikovandShuldiner(2 002)identifiedthreekeyfactorsinfluencinganALPR’sabilitytoaccurately

readalicenseplate:ambientlight,videorecordingsettings,andALPRsettings.Datawerecollectedby

usingvideoofmovingvehicleswithvariationsoflightingandexposuresettingsofthevideorecording.

Theanalysissettingsofthe

ALPRsystemwerestructuredtoachievethehighestaccuracypos sible,with

particularfocusonthesyntaxofthelicenseplates.Thestudyfoundthatthehighestreadratesin



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage90

variouslightingconditions occurredwhenthesunwasinfrontofthevehiclesuchthatthelicenseplate

wascompletelyshaded.VideorecordingsettingsandALPRsettingseachinfluencedthereadrate,

indicatingtheimportanceofproficientoperators.



Oliveira‐Netoetal.(2009)studiedtheapplicability of anALPRsystemwith

twounitsforlarge‐truck

speedmonitoringandenforcementinKnoxville,Tennessee.TheoutputfromtheALPRsystemswere

comparedtotherawimagesofthelicenseplateswhichresultedinanaccuracyof61%and63%from

theunits.Theinitialresultswerethenconstrainedbyatraveltime

criteriaandatext‐miningtechnique

whichsignificantlyimprovedtheresultinglicenseplatematches.Afterrefiningthedata,theauthors

wereabletoachievea97%positivedetectionratebetweentwoALPRunitswithonly2%falsepositive

matches.



AvarietyofusesofALPRsystemdataexistoutsideof

lawenforcementapplications.Licenseplate

identificationthroughautomatedmeanscanprovidetransportationagenciesandhighwayuserswith

valuableinformationabouttraveltimesalongaroute(Shuldiner,etal.1996,Frenchetal.1998,Clarket

al.2002,Buisson2006,Findley2010a).Matchedlicenseplatedatacanalsosupplynecessary

informationfor

transportationplanningprocesses,includingorigin‐destination studiesandcordon

studies(Shuldiner,etal.1996,Frenchetal.1998,Guptaetal.2002,Foyle2010).Othertransportation

engineeringstudiesincludingparkingstudies(Findley2010b)andpath‐basedtrafficvolumestudies

(Schroeder2010)canbenefitfrommatchedlicenseplatedata.



SUMMARY

Previousliteraturefocusesontechnologytoreadlicenseplates,techniquesfordatacleaningand

reduction,orusesforthedatacapturedbyALPRsystems.However,theauthorsofthisresearchfound

nopreviousstudieswhichhavefocusedontheimpactofthelicenseplateattributesonthereadability

byanALPR.

Thisstudywillfocusonlicenseplateattributesasameanstoimprovereadability.



METHODOLOGY

Thepurposeofthisresearcheffortwastotestthere adability ofNorthCarolinalicense platesthrough

automated,infraredcamerasystems.Therefore,onlythephysicalfeaturesofthelicenseplatewereof

interestduringtheexperiment,otherconditionsthatcouldinfluencetheaccuracyoftheALPRwere

controlledtothefullest

extentpossible.Recentlyreturnedlicenseplates weretestedinthisstudyto

evaluatethereadabilityofplatesthatarecurrentlydisplayedonvehiclesacrossthestate.Thisdata

providesabaselineassessmenttocomparefuturechangesin licenseplatedesign.Thelicenseplates

includedinthestudywerecollectedfrom

themanufacturerofNorthCarolinali censesplates,Correction

Enterprises,adivisionoftheNorthCarolinaDepartmentofCorrection.Thelicensesplateswere

selectedfromtheexistingstockofreturnedlicenseplates.Criticalfeaturescollectedoneachlicense

plateincludedtheproductionyear,retroreflectivity,andcondition(ratingofphysicalcondition).A

total

of905licenseplateswerecollectedfortestingwiththequantitiesbylicenseplatetypeshownin

Exhibit2.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage91

Amongthetypesofplateswere:

 Standardissueplates

o Standardissueplates(pre‐2007andcurrent)withbluecharacters(ExhibitI)

o Standardissueplates(2007to2009)withredcharacters(ExhibitI)

 Specializedandpersonalizedplates

o Specializedplatesinthestandardissueformatwithspecialartwork

ontheleftanda

stackedsuffix(Exhibit3)

o Existingspecialtyplateswiththepreviousfull‐backgrounddesign(Newspecialtyplates

withthenewfull‐backgroundstandardtemplateformat(Exhibit3)

Exhibit 2. License Plates Tested by Plate Type

PlateType

Number

ofPlates

StandardIssue–BlueInk 240

StandardIssue–RedInk 274

Specialty–NoStackedCharacter 47

Specialty–StackedCharacter 95

Specialty–FullBackground(WithWhiteBox) 240

Specialty–FullBackground(WithoutWhiteBox) 6



Exhibit 3. Example Specialized Plate in Standard Issue Format with Artwork and Stacked Suffix

Exhibit 4. Example Full Background Plate without White Block (left) and with White Block (Right)

LICENSEPLATEATTRIBUTECHARACTERIZA TION

Eachlicenseplatewascatalogedandcharacterizedtocomparetotheoutputofthefieldtesting.The

licenseplateswerecatalogedinaspreadsheetandcharacterizedbytheirage (byprodu ctiondate),

contrastratiobetweenthelicenseplatebackgroundandalphanumericvalues,retroreflectivityvalue,

andconditionassessment

rating.Thecontrastratioisameasureofthedifferenceincontrastbetween



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage92

thebackgroundandcharactersofalicenseplate.Thecontrastratioiscalculatedbydividingthe

backgroundgrayscalevaluebythecharactergrayscalevalueandwasgeneratedautomaticallybythe

ALPRsystem.Theretroreflectivityofeachlicenseplatewasmeasuredwitharetroreflectometer.The

retroreflectivityofeachplatewasmeasuredin

aconsistentlocationthatcouldbeeasilyreplicated

acrossallsimilarplatetypes.



ThefollowingconditionassessmentswereusedbyCorrectionEnterprisesinevaluatingeachlicense

plate:

 Functional(functioningasdesignedin terms ofoverallcondition – doesnotinclude anyofthe

followingdamageconditi ons) 

 Faded



Bent

 Crackedsurface

 Peelingsheeting



FIELDTESTING

TheNorthCarolinaStateHighwayPatrolTrainingAcademyinRaleighwasutilizedfortheexperiment.

Thislimited‐accessfacilityfeaturesseveralroadcoursesforofficertraining,includinganovalwith

straightsegmentsofapproximatelyonequarterofamilewhichwereusedforthisstudy(Exhibit6).

Thesefacilitiesaresurrounded

bynaturalareaswhichofferlittlebackgroundlightingandreflectivity

interferencewiththeALPRsystem.Theexperimentswereconductedduringnighttimeconditions to

minimizetheimpactoflightingonthetests.TheexperimentwasconductedonMarch7,2012.

Exhibit 5. Field Testing Location



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage93

TwoALPRsystemswereutilizedforthetesting:theCityofRaleighPoliceDepartment’sinfraredALPR

systemandaFederalSignal/PIPSResearchandDevelopment’sALPRsystem.Bothsystemswere

FederalSignal/PIPSTechnologyinfraredcamerasystemsandweremountedunderthevehicle’slight

bar.Immediatelypriortofield

testing,aPIPStechnicianensuredthattheequipmentwasproperly

calibratedforthefieldconditions.



Exhibit 6. ALPR Cameras Turned Off (top) and in Operation (bottom)

Manyenvironmentalissuescanaffectthereadabilityoflicenseplates,including:sunshine,darkness,

directionofsun/shadows,presenceofclouds,precipitation,fog,etc.Additionally,vehiclemounting

factorscanimpactreadability,including:occlusionscreatedbytrailerhitches,poorlydesignedframes,

bikeracks,trailers,heightofthelicenseplateofftheground,

etc.Thefieldtestingscenariowas

developedtocontrolforthepotentialenvironmentalandvehiclemountingfactorsthrough

specificationsoftheenvironmentalconditions,ALPRoperation,andlicenseplateplacement.Thistest

scenariomimicsthereadingofparkedcar’slicenseplatesasshowninExhibit7.Thetestingbeganat

7:00

PM,whichwas45minutesaftersunset(withsunsettimedefinedbyUnitedStatesNaval

Observatory(USNO2012)).



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage94

Multiplerunsonthetestcoursewererequiredtotestthefullsampleoflicenseplates.Duringeachrun,

thirtylicenseplateswereplacedperpen diculartotheALPR‐equippedvehicle’sdirectionoftraveland

spacedatanintervaloffortyfeet.Amongthe30licenseplatesexaminedduringeachrun,25

were

replacedforsuccessiverunsand5remainedconstantthroughoutthetestingtoserveasacalibrationof

theALPRsystems.Thelateraloffset,orperpendiculardistancefromthetestvehicletothelicense

plates,wassetas9feettoimitateparkedvehiclesalongsidetheroadway.Duringthetesting,

the

licenseplateswerestationary.Thelicenseplatesweresupportedbywoodenpostsandmountedontoa

pieceofblackposterboardwithamattefinishataheightof24”abovetheground(Exhibit7).Thetest

vehicleequippedwiththeALPRwasmovingataconsistentspeedof25

mphwhilepassingeachplate.

Thelicenseplateswereplacedinapre‐specifiedorderforcomparisontotheALPRsystemdata.



Exhibit 7. Field Testing Layout



MEASURESOFEFFECTIVENESS

ThefollowingmeasuresofeffectivenessserveasthebasisforevaluatingthereadabilityofNCDMV’s

currentlicenseplates.Thesemeasuresfacilitatetheevaluationoflicenseplatesbasedonthetypeof

plate,age,contrast(betweenletteringandbackground),retroreflectivity,andcondition.

 Capture Rate – The capture rate quantifies the percentage

 of license plates that are correctly

identified as license plates to be analyzed by the ALPR system and is defined by the following

equation:

o CaptureRate =Numberof LicensePlatesRecognized AsLicensePlates/ Total Number

ofLicensePlatesStudied



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage95

 Read Rate – The read rate quantifies the percentage of license plates that areaccurately read

among the plates that were captured by the ALPR system and is defined by the following

equation:

o Read Rate = Number of License Plates Accurately Read / Number of License Plates

RecognizedAs

LicensePlates

 Character Read Rate – The character read rate quantifies the percentage of a specific letter,

number,orsymbolthatisaccuratelyreadbytheALPRsystem.

RESULTS

The902licenseplatesincludedinthisstudywereevaluatedwithtwoALPRsystems:theCityofRaleigh

PoliceDepartment’sinfraredALPRsystem(RaleighPD)andaFederalSignal/PIPSResearchand

Development’sALPRsystem(PIPSR&D).BothsystemswereFederalSignal/PIPSTechnologyinfrared

camerasystemsandwere

mountedunderthevehicle’slightbar.ThePIPSR&Dsystemmostlikely

representstheidealtestingequipmentwithanewcameraandoptimizedalgo rithmsforfindingand

evaluatingthelicenseplatesincludedinthestudy,whiletheRaleighPDsystemrepresentsasystem

currentlyinoperationinthefield.A

licenseplateisreferredtoascapturedifthatplateiscorrectly

identifiedasalicenseplatetobeanalyzedbytheALPRsystem,whilealicenseplateisreferredtoas

accuratelyreadifallofthecharactersonthelicenseplatehavebeencorrectlyreportedandmatchedto

the

actualcharacters.Exhibit8presentsthelicenseplatematchingoutcomesfortheRaleighPDsystem

andPIPSR&Dsystem.ThePIPSR&Dsystemcapturedandaccuratelyread367licenseplates(shownin

thebottomrow)andtheRaleighPDsystemcapturedandaccuratelyread293licenseplates(shownin

the

farrightcolumn).Amongthelicenseplatesstudied,77%resultedinthesameoutcomeforeachof

thesystems:271werecorrectlyidentifiedasalicenseplatebybothALPRsystemsandaccuratelyread;

297licenseplateswerecorrectlyidentifiedaslicenseplates,butnotaccuratelyread;and123license

plates

werenotcapturedbybothsystems.

Exhibit 8. License Plate Match Outcome Raleigh PD & PIPS R&D

PIPSR&DALPRMatchTypeand

Quantity

RaleighPD

ALPRTotal

Captureand

Read

Capture

Only

NoCapture

RaleighPDALPR

MatchTypeand

Quantity

CaptureandRead 271 16 6 293

CaptureOnly 81 297 23 401

NoCapture

15 70 123 208

PIPSR&DALPRTotal 367 383 152 902



Exhibit9displaysthecaptureandreadrateoftheRaleighPDsystemandthePIPSR&Dsystem.Asan

exampleoftheinformationprovidedintheExhibit,Exhibit9showsthat154standardissue,blueink

licenseplateswereincludedinthestudy.Amongthe154licenseplates,149

(96%)wereappropriately

identifiedaslicenseplatesbytheRaleighPDsystem.Amongthesetof148platescapturedbythe

RaleighPDALPRsystem,142(96%)plateswereaccuratelyreadbythesystem.Exhibit10andExhibit11

presentthereadrateandnumberofcorrectlyreadcharactersforeach

ofthe36alphanumeric



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage96

characters,fortheRaleighPDsystemandPIPSR&Dsystem,respectively.Asanexampleofthe

informationprovidedintheexhibits,Exhibit10showsthattheletter“B”wasaccuratelyread14times

onpersonalizedstandardissue,blueinklicenseplates,forareadrateoftheletterof78%.

Similar

tothealphanumericreadrateexhibits,Exhibit12showsthereadrateforstackedcharacters,as

wellasthecapturerate.Atotalof341stackedcharactersappearedonthe902platesincludedinthe

study.TheRaleighPDandPIPSR&Dsystemswereabletocapture75%and84%

ofthoseplates,

respectively.TheRaleighPDandPIPSR&Dsystemswereabletoaccuratelyread60%and65%ofthe

capturedplates,respectively.

Exhibit 9. License Plate Capture and Read Rate – Raleigh PD & PIPS R&D

PlateType

Syntax

Type

Number

ofPlates

RaleighPD PIPSR&D

CaptureRate

%(Number)

ReadRate

%(Number)

CaptureRate

%(Number)

ReadRate

%(Number)

StandardIssue‐

BlueInk

Std 154 96% (148) 96% (142) 95% (147) 95% (140)

Person 86 84% (72) 40% (29) 83% (71) 48% (34)

StandardIssue‐

RedInk

Std 249 66% (164) 45% (74)

 75% (186) 60% (111)

Person 25 56% (14) 7% (1) 72% (18) 11% (2)

SpecialtyFIF‐No

StackedCharacter

Std 43 86% (37) 57% (21)

 88% (38) 68% (26)

Person 4 50% (2) 50% (1) 50% (2) 50% (1)

SpecialtyFIF‐

StackedCharacter

Std 83 80% (66) 20% (13)

 87% (72) 28% (20)

Person 12 33% (4) 0% (0) 50% (6) 0% (0)

SpecialtyNon‐FIF

‐NewStyle

Std 213 80% (171) 7% (12)

 89% (189) 17% (33)

Person 27 52% (14) 0% (0) 67% (18) 0% (0)

SpecialtyNon‐FIF

‐OldStyle

Std 5 20% (1) 0% (0)

 40% (2) 0% (0)

Person 1 100% (1) 0% (0) 100% (1) 0% (0)

Total 902 77% (694) 42% (293) 83% (750) 49% (367)

Note:Std=Standard,Person=Personalized



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage97

Exhibit 10. Alphanumeric License Plate Character Appearances and Read Rate – Raleigh PD

Values

ReadRate %(NumberofCorrectReadings)

BlueInk RedInk SpecialtyPlates AllPlateTypes

AllPlates

Personalized Standard Personalized Standard Personalized Standard Personalized Standard

A 100% (35) 100% (43) 100% (7) 100% (2) 100% (6) 29% (2) 100% (48) 90% (47) 95% (95)

B 78% (14) 100% (9) 100% (4) 50% (1) 100% (2) 13% (1) 83% (20) 58% (11) 72% (31)

C 100% (18) 100% (21) 90% (9) 100% (13) 100% (6) 38% (3) 97% (33) 88% (37) 92% (70)

D 80% (12) 93% (13) 50% (1) 67% (6) 100% (1) 44% (4) 78% (14) 72% (23) 74% (37)

E 100% (33) 100% (20) 100% (10) N/A (0) 100% (4) 50% (3) 100% (47) 88% (23) 96% (70)

F 100% (11) 100% (17) 100% (1) 100% (1) 50% (2) 44% (4) 88% (14) 81% (22) 84% (36)

G 100% (7) N/A (0) 50% (1) N/A (0) 50% (2) 0% 0 77% (10) N/A (0) 77% (10)

H 78% (7) 100% (7) 100% (5) 90% (18) 100% (5) 60% (3) 89% (17) 88% (28) 88% (45)

I 100% (28) N/A (0) 100% (6) N/A (0) 100% (4) 0% 0 100% (38) N/A (0) 100% (38)

J 100% (11) 100% (5) 100% (5) 100% (21) 67% (2) 50% (4) 95% (18) 88% (30) 91% (48)

K 100% (9) 100% (4) N/A (0) 80% (4) 100% (3) 0% (0) 100% (12) 50% (8) 71% (20)

L 97% (34) 100% (5) 100% (5) 100% (4) 100% (1) 0% (0) 98% (40) 50% (9) 83% (49)

M 92% (24) 100% (1) 100% (2) 50% (2) 100% (6) 40% (4) 94% (32) 47% (7) 80% (39)

N 96% (22) 100% (26) N/A (0) 78% (21) 50% (1) 43% (3) 92% (23) 83% (50) 86% (73)

O 93% (25) N/A (0) 75% (3) N/A (0) 80% (4) 100% (1) 89% (32) 100% (1) 89% (33)

P 94% (16) 100% (33) 100% (3) 97% (30) 100% (3) 0% (0) 96% (22) 91% (63) 92% (85)

Q N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0) 0% 0 0% 0 N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0)

R 100% (35) 93% (28) 100% (7) 100% (15) 100% (2) 25% (2) 100% (44) 85% (45) 92% (89)

S 97% (32) 100% (27) 80% (4) 100% (11) 80% (4) 50% (7) 93% (40) 87% (45) 89% (85)

T 92% (22) 100% (27) 80% (4) 95% (40) 80% (4) 0% (0) 88% (30) 88% (67) 88% (97)

U 100% (14) N/A (0) 100% (2) N/A (0) 100% (1) 45% (5) 100% (17) 45% (5) 79% (22)

V 100% (4) 100% (33) 100% (2) 93% (27) 100% (1) 0% (0) 100% (7) 90% (60) 91% (67)

W 100% (9) 100% (28) N/A (0) 65% (15) 100% (2) 14% (1) 100% (11) 76% (44) 80% (55)

X 100% (6) 100% (15) N/A (0) 97% (95) 0% 0 14% (1) 100% (6) 93% (111) 93% (117)

Y 100% (12) 100% (30) 50% (2) 92% (85) 0% (0) 0% (0) 82% (14) 91% (115) 90% (129)

Z 100% (5) 100% (52) 100% (1) 95% (41) 0% 0 0% (0) 100% (6) 92% (93) 93% (99)

0 100% (3) 96% (49) N/A (0) 78% (39) 100% (1) 95% (103) 100% (4) 91% (191) 92% (195)

1 79% (11) 100% (70) N/A (0) 94% (66) 100% (1) 97% (94) 80% (12) 97% (230) 96% (242)

2 100% (3) 100% (57) 100% (2) 97% (62) 100% (2) 100% (127) 100% (7) 99% (246) 99% (253)

3 75% (3) 100% (60) N/A (0) 97% (72) 100% (2) 96% (95) 83% (5) 97% (227) 97% (232)

4 83% (5) 98% (63) 100% (1) 93% (74) 0% 0 93% (101) 86% (6) 94% (238) 94% (244)

5 100% (3) 100% (57) N/A (0) 90% (53) 0% (0) 98% (111) 75% (3) 97% (221) 96% (224)

6 100% (3) 100% (60) N/A (0) 87% (67) 0% 0 100% (94) 100% (3) 96% (221) 96% (224)

7 N/A (0) 100% (60) N/A (0) 100% (70) 100% (1) 97% (69) 100% (1) 99% (199) 99% (200)

8 33% (1) 100% (58) 100% (2) 89% (54) 0% 0 94% (92) 60% (3) 94% (204) 93% (207)

9 100% (1) 98% (58) N/A (0) 88% (45) 100% (1) 99% (77) 100% (2) 96% (180) 96% (182)

Total 95% (504) 99% (1,043) 92% (97) 92% (1,148) 87% (85) 87% (1,163) 93% (686) 92% (3,354) 93% (4,040)



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage98

Exhibit 11. Alphanumeric License Plate Character Appearances and Read Rate – PIPS R&D

Values

NumberofCharacterAppearances(ReadRate,%)

BlueInk RedInk SpecialtyPlates AllPlateTypes

AllPlates

Personalized Standard Personalized Standard Personalized Standard Personalized Standard

A 100% (35) 98% (44) 90% (9) 100% (2) 100% (8) 29% (2) 98% (52) 89% (48) 93% (100)

B 89% (16) 100% (10) 100% (4) 100% (2) 100% (5) 40% (4) 93% (25) 73% (16) 84% (41)

C 100% (18) 100% (20) 100% (10) 100% (15) 80% (4) 56% (5) 97% (32) 91% (40) 94% (72)

D 100% (15) 100% (14) 83% (5) 89% (8) 0% (0) 63% (5) 95% (20) 87% (27) 90% (47)

E 100% (32) 100% (19) 100% (13) 100% (1) 100% (5) 33% (2) 100% (50) 85% (22) 95% (72)

F 100% (11) 100% (14) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (3) 70% (7) 100% (15) 88% (22) 93% (37)

G 100% (7) N/A (0) 75% (3) N/A (0) 100% (4) 0% (0) 93% (14) N/A (0) 93% (14)

H 78% (7) 100% (7) 100% (4) 90% (26) 75% (3) 50% (3) 82% (14) 86% (36) 85% (50)

I 100% (28) N/A (0) 86% (6) N/A (0) 100% (3) 0% (0) 97% (37) N/A (0) 97% (37)

J 91% (10) 100% (5) 100% (4) 100% (19) 67% (4) 18% (2) 86% (18) 74% (26) 79% (44)

K 100% (9) 100% (4) 0% (0) 80% (4) 83% (5) 14% (1) 88% (14) 56% (9) 72% (23)

L 100% (35) 100% (5) 100% (6) 67% (2) 100% (3) 0% (0) 100% (44) 44% (7) 85% (51)

M 96% (25) 100% (1) 60% (3) 80% (4) 100% (7) 60% (6) 92% (35) 69% (11) 85% (46)

N 87% (20) 100% (26) 67% (2) 79% (26) 67% (2) 43% (3) 83% (24) 83% (55) 83% (79)

O 88% (23) N/A (0) 75% (3) N/A (0) 80% (4) 100% (1) 86% (30) 100% (1) 86% (31)

P 94% (15) 97% (32) 100% (4) 97% (33) 100% (4) 0% (0) 96% (23) 90% (65) 92% (88)

Q N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0) 0% (0) 0% (0) N/A (0) N/A (0) N/A (0)

R 100% (35) 97% (29) 90% (9) 100% (17) 100% (4) 18% (2) 98% (48) 83% (48) 90% (96)

S 100% (33) 100% (24) 75% (3) 100% (12) 71% (5) 47% (7) 93% (41) 84% (43) 88% (84)

T 96% (22) 100% (27) 80% (4) 98% (44) 100% (5) 25% (2) 94% (31) 91% (73) 92% (104)

U 100% (14) N/A (0) 67% (2) N/A (0) 100% (1) 73% (8) 94% (17) 73% (8) 86% (25)

V 100% (4) 100% (33) 75% (3) 100% (31) 100% (2) 20% (1) 90% (9) 94% (65) 94% (74)

W 100% (9) 96% (27) 50% (1) 57% (16) 100% (2) 17% (1) 92% (12) 71% (44) 75% (56)

X 100% (6) 100% (14) N/A (0) 97% (112) 100% (2) 33% (2) 100% (8) 94% (128) 94% (136)

Y 100% (12) 100% (30) 60% (3) 95% (97) 100% (1) 0% (0) 89% (16) 93% (127) 93% (143)

Z 100% (5) 100% (52) 100% (1) 98% (48) 0% (0) 0% (0) 100% (6) 93% (100) 94% (106)

0 100% (3) 98% (51) N/A (0) 78% (40) 100% (1) 91% (113) 100% (4) 90% (204) 90% (208)

1 69% (9) 100% (68) 0% (0) 97% (70) 100% (3) 98% (103) 71% (12) 98% (241) 97% (253)

2 100% (3) 100% (56) 100% (2) 100% (75) 100% (3) 99% (136) 100% (8) 100% (267) 100% (275)

3 100% (4) 100% (60) 100% (1) 99% (79) 100% (2) 97% (112) 100% (7) 98% (251) 98% (258)

4 100% (5) 95% (57) 33% (1) 89% (77) 0% (0) 94% (113) 75% (6) 93% (247) 92% (253)

5 67% (2) 100% (57) N/A (0) 88% (68) 0% (0) 96% (111) 50% (2) 94% (236) 94% (238)

6 100% (2) 100% (60) N/A (0) 90% (83) 0% (0) 99% (100) 100% (2) 96% (243) 96% (245)

7 N/A (0) 100% (59) N/A (0) 99% (80) 100% (1) 100% (78) 100% (1) 100% (217) 100% (218)

8 67% (2) 100% (58) 100% (2) 93% (62) 0% (0) 95% (104) 80% (4) 96% (224) 95% (228)

9 N/A (0) 100% (58) N/A (0) 85% (53) 100% (1) 98% (84) 100% (1) 95% (195) 95% (196)

Total 96% (496) 99% (1,029) 84% (129) 93% (1,302) 91% (107) 88% (1,268) 93% (732) 93% (3,599) 93% (4,331)



AppendixG–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage99



Exhibit 12. License Plate Stacked Character Read Rate – Raleigh PD & PIPS R&D

Stacked

Character

Number

ofPlates

RaleighPD PIPSR&D

CaptureRate%

(Number)

ReadRate%

(Number)

CaptureRate%

(Number)

ReadRate%

(Number)

AA 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

AI 6 50% (3) 33% (1) 50% (3) 0% (0)

A

T

 23 52% (12) 67% (8) 78% (18) 78% (14)

BC 3 100% (3) 67% (2) 100% (3) 100% (3)

BP 97 86% (83) 58% (48) 93% (90) 72% (65)

CF 22 73% (16) 31% (5) 91% (20) 45% (9)

CH 2 0% (0) N/A (0) 50% (1) 0% (0)

CP 3 100% (3) 33% (1) 100% (3) 100% (3)

CV 3 100% (3) 100% (3) 100% (3) 100% (3)

DI 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

DU 11 45% (5) 60% (3) 45% (5) 100% (5)

DV 2 50% (1) 0% (0) 100% (2) 50% (1)

EF 10 40% (4) 100% (4) 90% (9) 89% (8)

FF 2 50% (1) 0% (0) 50% (1) 100% (1)

GT 1 0% (0) N/A (0) 100% (1) 0% (0)

HD 28 93% (26) 23% (6) 96% (27) 7% (2)

HG 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

IC 5 100% (5) 100% (5) 100% (5) 100% (5)

KA 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

KF 4 75% (3) 67% (2) 100% (4) 50% (2)

KV 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

LP 1 0% (0) N/A (0) 0% (0) N/A (0)

NG 3 0% (0) N/A (0) 0% (0) N/A (0)

PH 1 100% (1) 0% (0) 100% (1) 0% (0)

RE 1 0% (0) N/A (0) 0% (0) N/A (0)

RF 2 0% (0) N/A (0) 50% (1) 0% (0)

SA 1 0% (0) N/A (0) 100% (1) 0% (0)

SF 3 100% (3) 0% (0) 100% (3) 0% (0)

SM 66 83% (55) 87% (48) 83% (55) 84% (46)

SP 9 89% (8) 25% (2) 78% (7) 0% (0)

SR 6 67% (4) 75% (3) 50% (3) 100% (3)

S

T

 6 50% (3) 67% (2) 83% (5) 80% (4)

TF 4 0% (0) N/A (0) 25% (1) 0% (0)

TH 2 100% (2) 0% (0) 50% (1) 100% (1)

VV 4 100% (4) 25% (1) 100% (4) 50% (2)

WC 4 75% (3) 100% (3) 100% (4) 100% (4)

WM 1 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1) 100% (1)

Tota

l

 341 75% (257) 60% (154) 84% (287) 65% (187)



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage100

MODELINGREADABILITY

Alogisticregressionmodelwasdevelopedtomodeltheprobabilityofcaptureandreadforstandardissue

licenseplates,asshowninExhibit13.Themodelswerebasedontheinkcolor(blueorred),contrastratio

betweenthecharactersandbackground,andsyntaxtype(standardorpersonalized),whileutilizingdata

from

theRaleighPDALPRsystem.Eachofthetermswerestatisticallysignificant(atthe0.05level).Themodel

predictingthecaptureratehasapseudoR‐squaredvalueof0.4464andthereadratemodelhasapseudoR‐

squaredvalueof0.3046.Exhibit14presentsaplotof

theprobabilityofcaptureamongtheinkcolorandsyntax

typeatvariouslevelsofcontrast.Exhibit15presentsaplotoftheprobabilityofreadamongtheinkcolorand

syntaxtypeatvariouslevelsofcontrast.Blueinkandstandardsyntaxproducehigherprobabilitiesofreadthan

redink

andpersonalizedsyntaxcombinationswithsignificantdifferencesatalllevelsofcontrast.



Exhibit 13. Logistic Regression Model of Standard Issue License Plates

CaptureRate ReadRate

Variable B

Standard

Error

z



Variable B

Standard

Error

z

RedInk‐1.321* 0.389‐3.40 RedInk‐2.105* 0.370‐5.69

Contrast 0.026* 0.002 10.96 Contrast 0.014* 0.415‐7.51

Personalized‐0.841* 0.407‐2.07 Personalized‐3.114* 0.003 5.59

(Constant) 0.053 0.393 0.13 (Constant) 0.401 0.470 0.85

*Significantat<0.05

Where:

RedInk=PresenceofRedInkonLicensePlate(0=BlueInk,1=RedInk)

Contrast=ContrastRatioofLicensePlateCharactersandBackground

Personalized=PresenceofPersonalizedSyntax(0=StandardSyntax,1= PersonalizedSyntax)



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage101

.

Exhibit 14 - Probability of Capture for Standard Issue License Plates

Exhibit 15. Probability of Read for Standard Issue License Plates



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage102

FINDINGS

Thekeyfindingsofthisresearchprojectincludethefollowing observations aboutNorthCarolinalicenseplate

readabilitybyanALPRsystem:

 Thecurrent,standardissue,blueinklicenseplatehasthehighestcaptureandreadratesofalltheplates

tested in this study.These plates were the type most

 accurately recognized as license plates and

accurately readbytheALPRsystem.The personalization of the blue inklicense plate resulted inaread

rateapproximatelyhalfofthereadrateofthestandardissuesyntax.

 The redink which was used on plates from2007to2009performed

significantly worse than blue inkin

termsofbothcapturerateandreadrate.

 Among the specialty license plates with the First in Flight background, the plates without the stacked

characterweremoreeasilycapturedandreadthantheplateswiththestackedcharacter.

 Among the specialty license plates

 with the full background, the ALPR system was generally able to

appropriately recognize the plates as license plates, but had difficulty accurately reading the plates for

boththestandardsyntaxandpersonalizedsyntax(noneofthe27personalizedplateswerereadcorrectly

byeithersystem).



CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS

Theinherentpurposeofalicenseplate–toidentifyaspecificvehicle–shouldbeconsideredwhendesigning,

approving,orinstitutinganewlicenseplate.ALPRsystemsareatooltoefficientlyidentifythousandsofvehicles

perhour,iflicenseplatesarereadable.Therefore,tomaximi zetheeffectivenessofALPR

systems,licenseplate

issuingagenciesshouldconsidertheimplicationsofthedatapresentedinthispaperoflicenseplateattributes

andreadability.Inkcolor,syntaxtype,andcontrast(throughcolorchoice,backgroundchoice,andspecificink

characteristics),whicharedeterminedbythelicenseplateissuingagency,haveasignifican t impact

onthe

abilityofalawenforcementagency’sabilitytorecognizeand accuratelyreadalicenseplateusinganALPR

system.Therefore,readabilityshouldbeacriteriaforconsiderationwhendecisionsaremaderegardingink

colorandsyntaxtype.Consistentwithpreviousresearch(OzbayandErcelebi2005),thisresearchfoundthat



manyincorrectmatchingcombinationsarematchesbetweenlettersandnumbers,supportinganeedforsyntax

toreadplatesconsistently.Availabilityanddesignofspecialtyplatesshouldalsobethoroughlyconsideredby

licenseplateissuingagencies,particularlywithregardtostackedcharacters,ba ckgroundcolors,andconsistent

locationofsymbols.



Thisresearch

effortfoundsignificantdifficultywithaccuratereadingsofvariousspecialtyandpersonalized

licenseplates.AlthoughitmightbepossibletoadjustandmodifyanALPRtocapturesomeofthemoredifficult

toreadlicenseplatetypespresentedinthispaper,thesemodificationswouldlikelyimpactasystem’sabilityto

accurately

readotherlicenseplatetypes.Therefore,lawenforcementagenciesshouldconsiderthelikelihood

ofencounteringeachlicenseplatetypewhenoptimizinganALPRsystemtomaximizetheoveralllikelycapture

andreadrateamongthepopulationoflicenseplatescommonintheagency’sjurisdiction.



Futureresearcheffortscouldinvolvevarious

teststoevaluatetheeffectiveness ofvariousenhancementsto

licenseplatesortestconditions.Highcontrastinkscouldbeimplementedonexistinglicenseplatedesignsfor

potentialimprovementsincapturerateandreadrate forvariousplatetypes.Similarly,digitallyprintedlicense

platesanddigitallyprintedlicenseplateswithbarcodes

couldbetestedforimpactsonreadabilityusinganALPR

system.Inadditiontothecontrolledfieldtestingpresentedinthispaper,alternativescenariosconsistingofa

varietyofconditions(on‐streetparking,weather,daytime,etc.)couldbeexecutedtoexamineother

environmentalvariablesofinteresttolawenforcementagencies.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage103

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ThisstudywasfundedbytheNorthCarolinaDepartmentofTransportation.NCDOThasnotevaluatedor

adoptedthefindingsofthispaperoracceptedorrejectedanyofitsconclusions.Thisstudywassupportedby

Dr.MoyBiswasandHeathGoreoftheResearchUnit.Theauthorswouldliketoacknowledge

theeffortsof

thosewhosupportedtheresearcheffortsandenabledtheprojecttobesuccessfullycompleted.Michael 

RobertsonandJohannaReeseoftheNCDOTDMVprovidedessentialguidanceandsupportfortheproject.

ChrisDeColliand3Mprovidededucationandtrainingonlicenseplatematerials,technology,andperforma nce.

Major

TroyButlerandtheNorthCarolinaStateHighwayPatrolallowedtheresearchteamtoutilizethetest

trackfacility.KarenBrown,CharlesCongleton,JimmyEvans,RobertLeon,TraceyGoodwin,andadditionalstaff

fromCorrectionEnterprisessuppliedlicenseplatesandsupportforcollecting,measuring,organizing,and

catalogingthelicenseplates.OfficerJohn

MaultsbyoftheCityofRaleighPoliceDepartmentassistedwiththe

planningandexecutionofthefieldtestwithanALPRsystemdeployment.DavidBynumwithFederalSignal/

PIPSTechnologyparticipatedinthestudywiththedeploymentofanadditionalALPRsystem,fieldsupport,and

imageprocessing.



AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage104

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AppendixF–NCSUStudyonEffectsofLicensePlateAttributesonALPRPage105

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

AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBookletPage106



A

ppendixG

LicensePlateConfigurationandDesign

Booklet



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet107

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

LicensePlateConfiguration

DesignBooklet

Revised4/12/12

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet108

PartI.LicensePlateLength,Repeats&RecordRetrieval

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

Alabama

7

includes spaces,

dashes, and stacked

characters

No N/A

Alaska

6 No N/A

Alberta

7 No

N/A

Arizona

7

5 or 6 - specialty

plates

No N/A

Arkansas

7 No Over the years, some

numbers have been

inadvertently repeated.

When an inquiry is made on

repeated numbers, each

plate is listed with the license

plate type. Any type listed

may then be selected to

proceed with the inquiry

British Columbia 6

No N/A

California

7

5 or 6 - if stacked

letters or symbols

No Look alikes, e.g., 1 for an I, or

zero for an O on personalized

plates are not allowed.

N/A

Colorado

7

6 – motorcycle plates

No N/A

Connecticut

6 – current plates

8 – with system

redesign

However, since

Connecticut’s plates

are embossed,

certain space

restrictions apply due

to sizing limitations

on the license plates.

Yes

In the past, approximately 23

generic class codes have been

repeated. Duplicate vanity and

low number plates can be

repeated as long as they are in

different classes.

Current system has class

codes and sub codes used to

differentiate between types

of plates issued. In

modernized systems, plates

will be distinguished by type

and usage.

Delaware

7

No N/A

District of

Columbia

7 Yes

Standard and personalized plate

numbers can be repeated on

various plate types.

The individual running the

record must determine which

record is appropriate, VIN#

based on the vehicle make,

model and color.

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet109

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

Florida

7 - center design

plates

5 - left design plates

No N/A

Georgia

7 Yes

Standard plate numbers, as well

as collegiate or personalized

plates can be repeated on various

plate types.

System will return records

for all vehicles with entered

plate number. The individual

running the record must

determine which record is

appropriate, based on the

vehicle make, model and

color or the category of the

plate.

Hawaii

6 Yes

Only on military specialty license

plates, disabled persons, and

electric vehicle.

The individual identifying the

license plate must also

remember the words or

symbol located on the left

side of the license plate. If

only the letter/number is

provided, the individual

running the record must try

all the alpha prefixes of these

plates to determine which

record may be appropriate,

based on the vehicle make,

and color.

Idaho

7

does not include

stacked

alpha/numerics

Yes

There are instances of this,

although working to clean them

up. Possible for a passenger

car/truck and a motorcycle to

have the same plate number.

The individual requesting the

information needs to select

the appropriate record based

on the vehicle type.

Illinois

7

does not include

stacked characters

Yes

Specialty plate may display the

same characters as a standard

plate.

The additional information

should include the 2 letter

stacked suffix on the right

hand side of the plate.

Indiana

6 – passenger,

specialty, RV and

motorcycle plates

7 - truck plates

8 - trailer plates

No

Numbers were repeated in the

past, but due to problems, the

practice was discontinued

N/A

Iowa 7

No N/A

Kentucky

6

includes stacked

characters

No N/A

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet110

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

Louisiana

7

not including stacked

characters

Yes

The numerical series repeats for

all special plates. Each plate type

would have an alpha prefix

specific to the plate type.

Special plates are indexed by

the numerical series in

conjunction with an alpha

prefix. Most special plates

include the prefix as stacked

characters to the left of the

numerical series.

Maine

7 Yes

Standard and personalized plate

numbers can be repeated on

various older plate types. Since

2007, new plate classes cannot

duplicate older classes.

For the three or four plates with

stacked class codes, the class

code is not part of the number.

System will return records

for all plates with repeated

numbers. Individual running

the record must determine

which record is appropriate,

based on the vehicle make,

model and color.

Manitoba

6

(3 alpha / 3 numeric)

No N/A

Maryland

7 No

Exception: Expired personalized

plates could be re-issued to a

new applicant upon request.

vehicle class

Michigan

7 No N/A

Minnesota 8

No N/A

Mississippi 7

Yes Specialty plates can have the

same number, but not the same

double stack characters

the type of specialty plate

Missouri

4 to 6 No N/A

Montana

7 ½

half is a space

Yes

Plate number can be repeated as

long as plate design is different.

type of plate design

Nebraska

7

does not include dash

Yes plate type

Nevada

7

Yes plate prefix

New Brunswick

6 No

New Hampshire

7

includes numbers

and symbols

Yes Not applicable for all plate types.

For example, you cannot have

the same regular passenger digits

on a state park plate

When a plate number that

contains a repeated number

is run, the system will return

records for all vehicles with

that plate number. The

individual running the record

must determine which record

is appropriate, based on the

vehicle make, model and

color.

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet111

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

New Jersey

7

5 - dedicated, sports

and organizational

plates

No

New Mexico

7

6 - motorcycle plates

No

New York

8 - car and truck

plates

6 - motorcycle plates

Yes Plate class distinguishes one

from the other.

North Carolina

7 – standard plates

8 - personalized

plates

4 - specialty plates

Yes

For specialty plates. However,

the prefix or suffix will make it a

different plate number when

running the plate.

Prefix or suffix for specialty

plates.

Same number will not be

repeated twice in unless it

has a prefix or suffix.

North Dakota 7 – standard plate

5 – stacked letter

and logo plates

Yes Stacked letter plates can repeat

alphas/numerics. All other plates

cannot repeat alphas/numerics.

Northwest

Territories

6

includes spaces

Yes Motorcycle and regular passenger

plates may have duplicate

numbers, however the MVIS

system differentiates them by

type.

All plates that contain that

sequence would be pulled.

Nova Scotia

7

does not include

symbols

Yes / No

Usually plate numbers are not

repeated. However, in some

situations, numbers may be

repeated.

System will return records

for all vehicles with the plate

number. The individual

running the record must

determine which record is

appropriate, based on the

vehicle serial number, make,

model and color.

Ohio 7 - standard plates

6 - logo plates

does not include

stacked characters

used for dealers

No N/A

Oklahoma

7 - with stacked

letters

6 -without stacked

letters

standard plates only

No N/A

Ontario

8 No N/A

Oregon

7

In some cases, the

first two characters

are stacked to the

left-side.

No

Exception: a vanity plate number

for a different vehicle type than

the regular plate configuration

issued to before. Happens very

rarely.

For exceptions, enter an

asterisk at the beginning of

the entry. The asterisk

identifies the configuration as

being a custom plate.

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet112

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

Pennsylvania

7

does include stacked

characters

No N/A

Quebec

7 No N/A

Rhode Island

6 Yes When a plate number that

contains a repeated number

is run, the system will return

records for all vehicles with

that plate number. The

individual running the record

must put in Plate Type (01-

Passenger, 02-Commercial,

etc.)

Saskatchewan

6 No N/A

South Carolina

7 No N/A

South Dakota

6 - standard

7 - personalized,

exempt entity, and

trailer ID

No N/A

Texas

7 No Exceptions:

 “Old plates” can be

displayed on vehicles 25

years or older w/ Antique or

Classic registration.

 Radio Operator plates may

be featured on numerous

owned by the radio operator.

System will return records

for all vehicles with the plate

number. Record 1 of 2, 1 of

3, etc. will display. The

individual running the record

must determine which record

is appropriate, based on the

vehicle make, model and

color.

Utah

7 No N/A

Vermont

7

does not include

stacked characters

Yes

Standard and personalized plates

can be repeated on various plate

types.

System will return records

for all vehicles with the plate

number. Plate number also

followed by a letter. Each

letter that follows a plate

number is a “vehicle type”.

The vehicle type represents

the type of vehicle for the

plate being run.

A – Car

B Truck

C – Trailer

D – Agriculture

G – Motorcycle

I – Bus

J – Municipal

K – State

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet113

Jurisdiction



Maximumnumberof

alpha‐numericcharacters

allowed

Platenumbersrep eatedfordifferenttypesofplates

Informationbesidesplatenumber,

neededtoensurecorrectrecordis

retrieved

Yes/No Notes

Virginia

7

8 – if stacked

Yes

Numeric only plate numbers are

sometimes issued on a different

plate type.

plate type

Washington 7

includes stacked

No

The plate identifier is different for

each plate, and because of this

no two plates are the same.

Plate number must include

the stacked alpha identifiers

to access the record.

West Virginia

8 No / Yes 99% of plates are unique

a few of the oldest series of

plates may repeat a limited

number of segments of numbers

below 2000. However, each of

these old style plates have very

distinctive plates, e.g., Prisoner

of War, handicapped and low

numbered passenger vehicle

plates numbered under 2000.

subclass

Class A are all passenger

vehicle cars, SUVs, pickup

trucks under 8000 pounds

Wisconsin

7 Yes,

historically.

No, currently.

In the past, yes, but the practice

is being eliminated.

System will return records

for all vehicles with the plate

number. The individual

running the record

determines which record is

appropriate based on the

vehicle and plate type.

Wyoming

7 Yes

The numbers, as well as

personalized plates are repeated

on a passenger, truck, collegiate,

motorcycle, light trailer, trailer,

commercial, handicapped, house

trailer, and multi-purpose vehicle.

In addition, some of the numbers

on specialty plates (Fire Fighter,

EMT, etc) are repeated on other

specialty plates.

Plate number and the type of

plate must be run together.

The individual running the

record must determine which

record is appropriate based

on the vehicle make and

color.

Yukon 6 No

N/A

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AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet114

Part II. Stacked Characters

Jurisdiction

Platescontain

stacked

characters

#of

Stacked

Characters

Locationof

StackedLetters

Stackedcharactersarepart

ofofficiallicenseplate

number

Positionofstacked

characterssame

whenprintedor

inquired

Stackedcharacters

printedonregistratio n

Alabama Yes

2 left side -

National

Guard plate

left side, after

the 1 or 2-

digit county

indicator –

other plates

Yes In sequence Yes

Alaska No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Alberta No

Only the Lt.

Governor’s

plate is

stacked

left side Yes

The plate number on

system would be

LTG0V (zero not the

letter O)

In sequence Shows as LTG0V

Arizona No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Arkansas Yes 2 either left or

right side

Yes In sequence Yes

British

Columbia

No N/A N/A N/A

California Yes 2 or 3

either left or

right side

In some instances,

yes. For example,

disabled person and

disabled veteran

license plates, the

“DP” and the “DV” are

part of the plate

number on the

database.

In sequence Yes

Colorado Yes 2 or 3 left, right or

both

No N/A No

Connecticut Yes up to 4 position

varies

No, but in some cases

stacking is used for

identification

purposes. e.g., .

“comb” stacked

indicates a

combination plate.

N/A N/A

Delaware Yes

2 left side Yes In sequence Yes

District of

Columbia

Yes

DC gov’t

vehicles

only

2 left side Yes In sequence Yes



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet115

Jurisdiction

Platescontain

stacked

characters

#of

Stacked

Characters

Locationof

StackedLetters

Stackedcharactersarepart

ofofficiallicenseplate

number

Positionofstacked

characterssame

whenprintedor

inquired

Stackedcharacters

printedonregistratio n

Florida No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Georgia No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Hawaii No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Idaho Yes

up to 4 left side No N/A No

Illinois Yes 2 right side,

w/ 1 or 2

exceptions

Yes In sequence Yes

Indiana No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Iowa No N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A

Kentucky Yes

specialty

plates only

2 right side Yes In sequence Yes

Louisiana Yes

2 Left side Yes In sequence Yes

Maine No

However, a

few older

plates have

stacked #s

N/A left side No In sequence No

Manitoba No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Maryland Yes 2, 3 or 4 right or left

side

Yes In sequence Yes

Michigan No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Minnesota No

However,

some old

permanent

plates have

stacked

letters

N/A left side Yes In sequence Yes

Mississippi Yes

2 Right side Yes In sequence Yes

Missouri No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Montana Yes

two plates

only

2 left side –

disabled vet

left side

second

position –

purple heart

disabled vet

No In sequence No



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet116

Jurisdiction

Platescontain

stacked

characters

#of

Stacked

Characters

Locationof

StackedLetters

Stackedcharactersarepart

ofofficiallicenseplate

number

Positionofstacked

characterssame

whenprintedor

inquired

Stackedcharacters

printedonregistratio n

Nebraska No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Nevada Yes

3 left side Yes In sequence Yes

New Brunswick

No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

New

Hampshire

Yes 2 left side No for conservation

plate which uses CH,

but for construction

equipment the “CE” is

part of the plate

In sequence Yes

New Jersey Yes 2 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

New Mexico Yes 2, 3 or 4 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

New York Yes 2, or

more

left or right

side

Some are, some

aren’t.

In sequence Yes

North Carolina Yes 2 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

North Dakota Yes 2 left Yes The plates are

listed under a

particular series

in the system

(e.g., Lewis and

Clark is LC

stacked; Gold

Star is GS

stacked)

Yes

Northwest

Territories

No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Nova Scotia Yes 2 or 3 left or right

side

Yes

In sequence Yes

Ohio

Yes 2 or 3 left side No In sequence Yes

Oklahoma Yes 2 and 3 left side or

middle

Yes In sequence Yes

Ontario No

N/A N/A

Note: Some

plate types

print on the

left side

No N/A N/A

Oregon No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Pennsylvania Yes 2 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

Quebec No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Rhode Island

No N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet117

Jurisdiction

Platescontain

stacked

characters

#of

Stacked

Characters

Locationof

StackedLetters

Stackedcharactersarepart

ofofficiallicenseplate

number

Positionofstacked

characterssame

whenprintedor

inquired

Stackedcharacters

printedonregistratio n

Saskatchewan No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

South Carolina Yes 2 left side or

both sides

Yes In sequence No

South Dakota Yes 2 or 3 left side

Yes In sequence Yes

Texas No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Utah No

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Vermont Yes

3

left side No N/A No

Virginia Yes 2 left or right

side

Yes

99% of the time; but

there are exceptions

In sequence Yes

Washington Yes 2 or 3 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

West Virginia Yes 2 left or right

side

Yes In sequence Yes

Wisconsin Yes 2 right or left

sides

Yes. Except for

moped plates.

In sequence

Yes

Wyoming Yes

2 and 3 left side No. Stacked

characters are used to

identify plate type.

No No

Yukon No

N/A N/A N/A N/A



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet118

Part III – Use of Non-Alphanumeric Characters

Jurisdiction

Platescontainnon‐

alphaornumeric

characters

Symbolsorcharacters

used

1



Non‐alphaornumericsymbolsor

charactersconsideredpartofofficial

platenumber

Non‐alphanumeric

charactersprintedon

registrationcardasthey

appearonthelicenseplate

Alabama Yes dash Historically, no, but we recently

requested that county licensing

officials send license plate

numbers exactly as they are

printed on the plate (with spaces

and dashes). The license plate

number should appear in an

inquiry whether or not the

spaces or dashes were entered.

Not in the past, but

we are now

encouraging county

licensing officials to

include spaces and

dashes on the

registration receipt.

Alaska No

N/A

Alberta Yes

dash only No No

Arizona No

N/A N/A N/A

Arkansas No

N/A N/A N/A

British

Columbia

Yes dash No No

California Yes plus sign No

However, the database will

denote it’s a KIDS plate and

position of the symbol will

appear after the symbol type

chosen for the plate number.

For example, 3/Plus Sign means

the plus sign appears as the 3

rd

character in the plate number.

No

Colorado Yes

dash, periods,

slashed zero

No No

Connecticut Yes

dots No No

Delaware Yes hyphens, spaces, and

ampersands

No No

District of

Columbia

No N/A N/A N/A

Florida Yes dash No

No

Georgia No

N/A N/A N/A

Hawaii Yes dash

No No

Idaho No

Dash No. Typically part of the special

plate design, and not part of the

plate number.

No

Illinois No

N/A N/A

N/A



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet119

Jurisdiction

Platescontainnon‐

alphaornumeric

characters

Symbolsorcharacters

used

1



Non‐alphaornumericsymbolsor

charactersconsideredpartofofficial

platenumber

Non‐alphanumeric

charactersprintedon

registrationcardasthey

appearonthelicenseplate

Indiana No

NA N/A N/A

Iowa No

N/A N/A N/A

Kentucky Yes

spaces and dashes Yes Yes

Louisiana Yes

personalized

plates only

dash, period, space No No

Maine Yes

for vanity plates

dash, ampersand No Yes

Manitoba Yes

personalized

plates only

dashes and spaces Yes Yes

Maryland No

N/A N/A N/A

Michigan No N/A

N/A N/A

Minnesota Yes

hyphen (personalized

plates only)

No No

Mississippi

No N/A N/A N/A

Missouri Yes dashes, spaces, and

hyphens

No No

Montana Yes ampersands, dash or

dot

zero with slash for

amateur radio plate

Yes - amateur radio No

Nebraska Yes

dash No No

Nevada No

N/A N/A N/A

New Brunswick No

N/A N/A N/A

New

Hampshire

Yes dash, plus sign,

ampersand

Yes Yes

New Jersey Yes

dash Yes Yes

New Mexico Yes zia symbol (+),

apostrophe ( ' ), dash

( - ), and Spanish Ñ

Yes Yes

New York No

N/A N/A N/A

North Carolina

Yes period, apostrophe,

exclamation point,

colon, dash, comma,

ampersand, question

mark, dollar sign,

equal sign, number

No No



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet120

Jurisdiction

Platescontainnon‐

alphaornumeric

characters

Symbolsorcharacters

used

1



Non‐alphaornumericsymbolsor

charactersconsideredpartofofficial

platenumber

Non‐alphanumeric

charactersprintedon

registrationcardasthey

appearonthelicenseplate

North Carolina,

continued

sign, single quote,

plus sign, slant line,

asterisk, at (@) and

double quotes

North Dakota

No N/A N/A N/A

Northwest

Territories

No N/A N/A N/A

Nova Scotia Yes dash, DOT and other

symbols/graphics

No No

Ohio No N/A N/A N/A

Oklahoma No

N/A N/A N/A

Ontario No

N/A N/A N/A

Oregon No

N/A N/A N/A

Pennsylvania No

N/A N/A N/A

Quebec No

N/A N/A N/A

Rhode Island

Yes dash No No

Saskatchewan Yes

dash No No

South Carolina Yes

ampersand Yes Yes

South Dakota No

N/A N/A N/A

Texas Yes spaces, hyphens,

periods

Texas has a unique,

“T for Texas”

specialty license plate

in several colors

which features a

stylized “T” in the

design area on the

left side of the plate.

The “T” IS

part of the

alphanumeric plate

number.

No No

Utah

No

N/A N/A N/A



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet121

Jurisdiction

Platescontainnon‐

alphaornumeric

characters

Symbolsorcharacters

used

1



Non‐alphaornumericsymbolsor

charactersconsideredpartofofficial

platenumber

Non‐alphanumeric

charactersprintedon

registrationcardasthey

appearonthelicenseplate

Vermont No N/A N/A N/A

Virginia Yes

dash, ampersand No No

Washington

No N/A N/A N/A

West Virginia No

N/A N/A N/A

Wisconsin Yes

dash (only used for

plate readability)

No No

Wyoming

No N/A N/A N/A

Yukon No

N/A N/A N/A

1

graphics such as a hand, heart, wheelchair, logos, and/or other non-alpha/numeric graphics are not part of

any jurisdiction’s plate number



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet122

Part IV – Images of License Plates Containing Stacked Graphics

Alabama



Alberta



Arkansas

California



Colorado

Connecticut



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet123

Delaware



District of Columbia



Idaho



Illinois



Kentucky



Louisiana



Maine



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet124

Maryland





Minnesota



Mississippi



Montana



Nevada 



New Hampshire

New Jersey



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet125

New Mexico



New York







North Carolina





North Dakota





Nova Scotia







Oklahoma



AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet126

Pennsylvania





South Carolina





South Dakota







Vermont



Virginia







Washington





West Virginia







AppendixG–LicensePlateConfigurationandDesignBooklet127

Wisconsin





W

y

omin

g



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