The Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) software in police vehicles is helping officers catch drivers in the nation’s capital.
According to an X post from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), an officer in Ottawa was able to catch a person for the second time who was driving without proper insurance.
The cop was on Highway 416 early Tuesday morning when the cruiser’s ALPR flagged an expired plate. The officer stopped the vehicle and it was revealed the driver had no insurance on the car. Police then found out this was the second time this driver had been convicted for the same offence this year.
OPP said that upon a second conviction, the driver will face a minimum $10,000 fine.
The ALPR system is able to scan 5,000 plates an hour compared to a provincial database, which reads suspended, prohibited and drivers without licences.
As of March of 2022, the provincial government scrapped renewal fees and licence plate stickers. However, a licence plate renewal is mandatory.
A renewal can be done through Service Ontario and is free.