With the help of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras, law enforcement agencies can record and store license plate information each time a vehicle is spotted. This data allows them to track the movements of a vehicle over time. According to a report by Fox News, the police in New York apprehended a drug dealer with the help of AI technology that searched through a database of 1.6 billion license plates over a span of two years. The technology used in this case was “Rekor Scout,” developed by Rekor, which claims to provide accurate license plate and vehicle recognition on various types of cameras.

According to the company, it takes only 20 minutes to deploy Rekor Scout and begin collecting license plate data. In addition to maintaining its own database, the software can be integrated with other tools, such as a red alert system that notifies authorities whenever a license plate on a watchlist is detected, all in real-time. However, it is important to adhere to local laws and regulations when using this technology.

Interestingly, the most affordable surveillance plan offered by Rekor for Scout costs just $10 per camera per month. For more advanced features, such as capturing and storing car color, license plate number, vehicle make and model, and even the direction of travel, the Pro plan is available at a cost of $65 per camera per month.

Another vendor in this space, DRN, claims to have a database of over 9 billion license plate scans that can be accessed by private parties. Their system collects hundreds of millions of license plate data points each month.