Fairfield PD Deploys License Plate Reader Technology to Combat Vehicle Theft

From the Fairfield Police Department:

Have you been wondering what those funny looking things are on the top of some of our CSO trucks?

They are the Fairfield Police Departments latest weapon to combat vehicle theft. License Plate Readers, knows as LPRs, have been installed on two patrol vehicles driven by Community Services Officers.

CSO Amy Tudi-Akaka and CSO Dan Barbeau have had the LPRs for approximately a month. CSO Tudi-Akaka has already identified 6 stolen vehicles, two of which were occupied and resulted in arrests.

LPRs are cameras that take photos of license plates at the rate of hundreds per minute. They can be mounted to vehicles, as in the case of the Fairfield Community Services Officers, or at a fixed location. The technology is the same that’s used on pay-as-you-go roads and at toll bridges.

If a license plate that was read matches an entry in a stolen vehicle database, the license plate reader system will alert the officer that a suspect vehicle is in the immediate area of that LPR system. This allows the officers to perform their regular duties while their LPR is constantly scanning for stolen vehicles.

The LPR System is just one example of the Fairfield Police Department’s commit to deploy technology to combat crime in our community. The National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Fairfield Police Department recommend you follow some simple tips to reduce the chances of your vehicle being stolen or broken into -

Use Common Sense

• Park in well-lit areas.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Report anything suspicious and avoid suspicious looking people.
• Lock your doors.
• Close your windows completely.
• Take your keys out of the car.
• Never leave your car running unattended - not even for a minute.
• Remove all items from the car or hide them from view.

Use a Visible or Audible Anti-Theft Device

• Audible alarm system
• Steering wheel locks
• Steering column collars
• Theft deterrent decals
• Wheel locks
• Install a tracking system that alerts police or a monitoring service when the vehicle is reported stolen.
• Window/VIN etching

Use a Vehicle immobilizer

• Smart keys have computer chips that must be present to start the car.
• Fuse cut-offs
• Kill-switches
• Starter, ignition and fuel cut off

In 2015, there has been a 26 percent decrease in stolen vehicles in Fairfield during the months of January through April, compared to 2014. If you need to report a vehicle theft or other crime that has occurred in Fairfield, call our dispatch center at (707) 428-7300, or 911 if you need to report a life-threatening emergency.