IMPD adding 214 new license plate readers to city streets this week

INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, IMPD Commander Matthew Thomas and City-County Councilor Jared Evans announced that 214 automated license plate readers (ALPR) would be up and running by the end of the week.

They also announced an additional 30 ALPR devices will be installed in the coming months.

“These machines are useful tools for IMPD, providing up-to-the-moment data that can prove critical in preventing or solving crime,” Hogsett said. “They represent an important part of our three-year violence reduction strategy and have already made a difference in numerous cases. Combined with the efforts of neighbors, law enforcement, and community partners, this cutting-edge technology is helping reduce the level of violence in our city.”

Below is the breakdown of how the ALPRs will be deployed:

• 182 stationary (street/traffic lights) flock LPR devices for districts outside of downtown
• 22 Motorola stationary LPR devices in the downtown area
• 10 Motorola mobile cameras on patrol vehicles

APLR’s automatically capture all license plate numbers that come into view in a specific location at a specific time. The data, which includes photographs of the vehicle, is then uploaded to a central server. Data is purged 30 or 180 days depending on the platform.

Stationary LPRs are located in every district and were deployed using data, district intelligence and community input. Mobile LPRs are attached to marked police patrol cars, allowing law enforcement officers to capture data from license plates as they drive around the city on their shift.

This year alone in the downtown area, the total number of LPR detections is over 15 million.

“This technology has already proven to be successful in various incidents. It allows investigators to focus in on a vehicle, make or model after a crime has occurred or a person is at risk. It has been useful in various calls ranging from domestic violence to homicides, from missing person cases to reckless driving and fatal hit-and-run investigations. It has also proven to corroborate and refute witness statements,” Thomas said.

Mayor Hogsett announced a comprehensive violence reduction plan in fall 2021, powered by $150 million in American Rescue Plan funds unanimously approved by the City-County Council. The plan emphasizes law enforcement investments, including $9 million in modern policing technology, 100 new IMPD officer positions, and up to 40 IMPD civilian positions to cover non-emergencies.