Since their inception more than a century ago, the license plate has primarily been used to display information for fast and accurate identification of a motor vehicle and to demonstrate compliance with motor vehicle registration laws. Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) provide law enforcement with the ability to check license plates against various databases. Inconsistent business rules utilized by the entities who issue license plates result in “misreads”, diminishing law enforcement’s ability to identify and apprehend suspected criminals or terrorists, recover stolen vehicles, or assist people in need of assistance. In addition, these inconsistencies hamper Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ability to correctly identify vehicles crossing international borders. Tolling authorities that collect tolls using ALPR or similar technology are also harmed by inconsistencies between jurisdictions and government entities are losing revenue from uncollected tolls caused by inaccurate reads of license plates. A recent study conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the Mesa, Arizona Police Department concluded that ALPRs increased license plate reads by a factor of more than eight . What the study did not, and could not reveal, is the number of hits “missed” because of license plate misreads. A study conducted by one tolling authority established a misread rate of 20%. Regardless of the misread rate in a particular jurisdiction, there is no refuting that misreads occur. And when they do, the potential exists to miss opportunities to arrest a suspected criminal or terrorist, to recover a stolen vehicle, or collect toll revenue. The purpose of this guide is to identify best practices in license plate design, manufacture and issuance to aid jurisdictions in creating and issuing license plates best suited to vehicle identification. The lack of national standards regarding the design and manufacturing of license plates limits the effectiveness of ALPR technology meant to assist in improving highway and public safety. License plates serve a common purpose across jurisdictions. They should also share common characteristics that allow readability, usability, and connections to vehicle registration records. The scope of these recommendations is limited to the physical characteristics of license plates, the information displayed on plates, and the placement of license plates on motor vehicles and trailers. Rules on issues peripheral to these concerns, such as plate assignment (plate with owner), personalization, or manufacturing sites are outside the scope of this document. (Author/publisher)
Abstract