Lakeland Police Department's new tag scanners check nearly 250,000 plates in 2 weeks
LAKELAND — Lakeland Police Department has spent more than a month gradually rolling out upgraded equipment to its officers, including body-worn cameras. It's technology comes with benefits.
"The license plate reader technology is working very good on those in-car systems," Assistant Chief Hans Lehman told commissioners on Friday during an agenda-study session ahead of Monday's meeting. "In the two weeks we've had it, we've read almost 250,000 plates already."
The first of the Axon Enterprises in-car video surveillance systems with license plate-reading technology was installed on a police cruiser about Jan. 17, Lehman said. To date, nearly 120 of the 165 in-car systems have been outfitted, with some held in reserve for an expected spring delivery of new vehicles.
Lehman said the cameras work while an officer is driving. The cruiser's camera picks up plate numbers on parked cars or vehicles traveling in front of the cruiser. The system checks a database to determine whether the registered owner of the vehicle has an arrest warrant, suspended license or other red flags.
"The camera is working constantly behind the scenes scanning constantly," Police Chief Sam Taylor said.
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Taylor said that previously, Lakeland officers had to type in individual license plates to their provided laptop. The department also owned two trailers that were equipped with license plate readers and stationed alongside various roads in the city, Lehman said.
The in-car camera systems are part of a $9.3 million equipment package the city purchased from Axon Enterprises Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona, in December 2021. The contract included 250 body-worn cameras and new tazers for the department's roughly 254 full-time officers, including detectives and administrative staff.
Roughly 180 bodycams have been assigned in the last six weeks, Lehman said, and the department has trained and issued cameras to all its front-facing uniformed officers. Lakeland's administrative personnel and investigative teams have yet to be issued cameras.
Police officials will ask city commissioners Monday to approve the purchase more than $15,000 in additional equipment and cloud storage. City manager Shawn Sherrouse said 15 additional body cameras are needed to keep up with the 15 new officer positions the city has funded this fiscal year, along with 30 more software licenses to allow staff members to access Axon's Evidence.com to upload and access evidence.
Taylor said the department's crime scene units, media relations and public safety aides need to have access to the system to be able to upload photos and videos.
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"Those three units submit a lot of stuff but do not have body cameras," the chief said.
Lehman said it's become clear the police department will need additional cloud storage to keep all the videos and digital evidence it is collecting. He's proposed changing to a third-party unlimited cloud storage data. The cost will be offset by a financial credit from Axon, costing the city only about $1,025.
The commission meets 9 a.m. Monday at City Hall, 228 S. Massachusetts Ave.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland police say 250,000 license plates were scanned in 2 weeks
