APD: License plate readers helping to solve crimes

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said its license plate readers are helping solve crimes, the agency said during a Public Safety Commission meeting on Monday.

The readers went live in March. Right now, there are 40 of them across the city at fixed locations.

Some officers will soon be able to scan from their patrol vehicles. According to APD, all officers will be trained on the software by the end of the month.

On Monday, police shared data with public safety commissioners. Some of those results said the readers helped identify and arrest two murder suspects. Additionally, there were 40 arrests for stolen vehicles and 20 stolen vehicles were recovered, according to APD.

During the meeting, one of the commissioners wanted to know more about demographics of the arrestees, while another member asked about traffic stops.

“If we got 40 arrests for stolen vehicles, were there 100 vehicles that were stopped that it was a false positive? Was there only one where there was some kind of stop? Because no system is perfect,” the commissioner said Monday during the meeting.

Other police departments in Round Rock, Pflugerville and Buda also have license plate readers, as well as the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.

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