Northbrook installs plate readers across roadways to curb crime
CHICAGO (CBS) -- You might have noticed gadgets popping up on streets around the area.
They're not out to nab you for speeding. They are license plate readers. The latest high tech tool to help catch criminals. CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reports from Northbrook to explain how they recently came in handy.
There are hundreds of these cameras in the Chicago area. At least 99 of them on the Dan Ryan alone. State police are putting 300 along every expressway in Chicago.
Now the Northbrook Police Department is the latest town using them to track criminals from the city to the suburbs.
"If I were a bad guy, I'd avoid Northbrook."
That's because license plate reader technology has eyes on this town. Police Chief Chris Kennedy said it helped Northbrook police arrest 26-year-old Mindy Bravo from Chicago in a stolen car.
"Ultimately, she was charged with a bunch of crimes included stealing a bunch of folks mail in the area," Kennedy said.
Police said she was about to go on a massive crime spree in town. They found stolen merchandise, credit cards, IDs and drugs in the car. Chief Kennedy now wants more cameras here and neighboring suburbs to get on board.
"More is better. It covers a greater area," Kennedy said.
The black boxes are mounted to poles and will take snap shots of every plate as drivers pass through intersections. The camera doesn't capture video and information is stored for 30 days. And when it comes to Big Brother...
"It doesn't give you a look inside the vehicle. There's been concern about profiling," Kennedy said.
The technology only captures the license plate.
In the dispatch center, officers are tasked with checking the accuracy of the plate. It will alert for a stolen car, warrant or Amber Alert, then dispatch decides when officers need to take action.
"It has to be pretty instant because in a minute or two, the cars could be in and out of town," said Detective Commander Jamison Hanselman.
In just a month and a half, Northbrook police have recovered four stolen cars and arrested 12 people. There are five plate readers set up across town and another 15 will be set up by years end.
"Ultimately our goal is to build a web around Northbrook," said Kennedy.
The chief admits crime is low in his area, but said that "web" can keep it that way and help track criminals from Chicago to the suburbs.
These systems are making us in tune to what's happening around us," said Kennedy.
The cost to the taxpayer? It's about $50,000 over a two year period. The system is also connected to cameras set up on private property, like Northbrook Court and the Fashion Outlets in Rosemont.