Delaware-based developer of vehicle recognition systems, Rekor Systems Inc has launched its Public Safety Network (RPSN) that will allow any participating state or local law enforcement agency to access real-time data from any part of the network at no cost.
Rekor is initially launching the network by aggregating vehicle data from its customers in over 30 states. With thousands of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras currently in service that capture approximately 150 million plate reads per month, the network is expected to be live by the first quarter of 2020. Available to any of the company’s existing customers that opt-in, the RSPN uses Rekor’s industry leading mobile and fixed mounted units for maximum flexibility. The company’s OpenALPR software, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, can also be added to existing law enforcement security camera networks to search for law enforcement related hotlists as well as Amber Alerts and registered sex offender motor vehicles.
“Our new Public Safety Network provides real-time license plate reading (LPR), make, model and color alerting for law enforcement use only. We do not implement any facial recognition algorithms and our industry leading technology assists law enforcement in finding specific vehicles, not individuals,” said Rekor’s chief science officer, Matt Hill. “Structured and hosted in an environment that is in conformance with CJIS Security Policy, the network will not accept any paid data from private sources such as those used for vehicle asset recovery. In 2020, the RPSN will be fully compliant with the federal 2019 NDAA law, which bans the use of certain foreign manufactured cameras used in critical infrastructure.”
Rekor’s president and CEO, Robert A Berman, added, “This network exists to help law enforcement prevent and solve crimes through a shared resource. We don’t think our participants should be charged for accessing information from a network they contribute to, especially when it provides information that has proven its value in solving crimes and closing cases quickly. Budget constraints and lack of resources are always an issue where the safety of any community is concerned. We are proud to be part of the solution.”
Lt. Brian Hess, head of the Westchester County New York Police Department’s Real Time Crime Unit, said, “As an early participant in the Rekor Network, our Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) has 84 cameras deployed that are capturing 25 million reads per month, resulting in hundreds of hotlist ‘hits’ per month. When a crime occurs, detectives in the RTTC use Rekor technology to assemble relevant information and share it with our officers in the field. Now, we will not only be sharing it with our officers, but with every law enforcement agency in the RPSN, making this already powerful tool even more effective.”
Rekor has also announced that it has received a purchase order from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide an additional 200 camera licenses for the company’s vehicle recognition system. The DoD has now doubled its total camera licenses from Rekor, having originally purchased 200 licenses to use the AI-powered ALPR system at its bases and facilities in May this year.
