Studies of the Uses and Impacts of License Plate Readers in Police Patrol and Investigations

• In Event: License Plate Reader and Body-Worn Camera Technologies in Police Organizations: Meanings, Structures and Outcomes

Abstract

As part of a larger study funded by the National Institute of Justice to examine the uses and impacts of license plate readers (LPRs) in policing, this presentation will review results from two field studies assessing the impacts and cost efficiency of LPR applications in patrol and investigations. One is evaluating the efficacy of LPR patrol deployment through a randomized experiment contrasting the effects of hot spots patrols with and without LPRs. Specifically, the study is testing test whether equipping hot spots patrols with LPRs increases apprehensions of wanted persons, increases recoveries of stolen vehicles, and/or reduces crime, relative to hot spots patrols conducted without LPRs. The other study is examining how a police agency with a network of more than 100 fixed location LPRs is using these devices for investigative purposes. This study also seeks to quantify the impact of LPR use on case closures through a quasi-experimental analysis.

Authors

• Christopher Koper, George Mason University

• Cynthia Lum, George Mason University