Lisa Wakeland

lwakeland@communitypress.com

Even though federal funding ran out Sycamore Township is keeping its two automated license plate readers.

The township has been using the readers for about five years and will soon have to start paying a $750 per unit user fee each year for system maintenance and storage, said Lt. Chris Ketteman, District 3 commander for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s a regional system, not just Hamilton County or the city of Cincinnati,” he said. “We’ve had lots of success with them and we use (the readers) with investigations.”

Automated license plate readers are attached to a cruiser’s light bar and scan the license plates of passing and nearby vehicles. Once the reader picks up a plate number via infrared cameras it is automatically run through law enforcement databases.

“We’re looking for wanted subjects and stolen vehicles, and we can use a partial description to search for suspects,” Ketteman said.

If the plate comes back with a warrant or other specifically programmed alert the officer is notified through a computer system in the cruiser.

After the officer is notified he or she will call the station to confirm that the plate in question matches the car and that there is, in fact, a reason to pull that person over.

“If we didn’t have the Kenwood district I’d say it wouldn’t be worth it,” Trustee Cliff Bishop said.

“As much as we have up there in the shopping district and with the traffic up there it’s nice to know who is there. If you want to have the system you have no choice with the cost.”

Trustee Tom Weidman said the township should continue to pursue grants to help pay for the system because it is important.

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