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cameras in the surveillance network while still allowing them to perform their regular monitor-andrecord function. This allows for the detection and
tracking capabilities of ALPR to be truly maximized,
as any or all of the cameras in the system can be
capturing license plates at all times.
Beyond Law Enforcement
July-Aug 2016 Edition
criminals or terrorists that might do serious harm
to patients and/or staff.
But this is not the only advantage ALPR provides.
Instead of simply monitoring who is accessing
a property, ALPR-based video analytics can be
used to actually control it. Whereas many facilities
control access by requiring the entrant to show
or scan an ID badge or display a decal on their
vehicle, ALPR technology makes it possible to
base access solely on license plates. This type
of access control automatically keeps accurate
track of entries and exits and requires a minimum
of human intervention, thus saving both time and
money in addition to making the process more
The flexibility and affordability of new-school ALPR
solutions is enabling the use of the technology to
expand beyond law enforcement into other sectors
such as education, health care, repossession and
recovery, retail, and many others. All of these areas
of endeavor have vital security and/or intelligencegathering needs for which ALPR-based video analytics can be a great help. For the purposes of
this piece, however, we will examine the first two;
namely, education and healthcare. Most would
agree that school campuses and medical facilities
are some of our most important and, at the same
time, most vulnerable institutions. In addition, their
physical security needs often mirror those of cities.
It should come as no surprise, therefore, that so
many of these facilities are discovering the protective power of ALPR.
As with their city counterparts, educational and
medical institutions with ALPR-based video analytics as part of their security infrastructure have license plate scan-and-check and vehicle movement
pattern recognition as basic tools. This is ideal for
perimeter security and for intelligence as to who enters and leaves the campus or facility and when—
what is often referred to as “situational awareness.”
For a school, this means ensuring that violent and/
or sex offenders do not drive onto the campus without security personnel or police knowing about it.
For a medical facility, it means helping to keep out
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