Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology has been around for over three decades, but it has only recently begun to see widescale adoption. The most noteworthy use of ALPR systems is in helping police departments identify and apprehend suspects. However, the applications for this technology can extend beyond those of law enforcement and into the private sector.
Of course, ALPR technology plays a very different role in the private sector. In this context, it’s usually used as part of an integrated security system. Read on to find out why organizations might want to invest in license plate reader technology as part of a broader security operation.
Primary Access Control
Most people think of access control systems as being implemented at the front entryway of buildings, but there is a strong case to be made for using ALPR technology for vehicular access control at the perimeter. The use of ALPR data for vehicular access control is already relatively common at critical infrastructure facilities. However, the same technology used to restrict access to prisons, airports, or utility sites could also be used in a corporate setting to protect campuses that house sensitive information or research.
Threat Detection
While private security companies do not have access to the hotlists available to police departments, they can create watch lists to mitigate threats from unauthorized vehicular access. In this context, the system works in a similar way. The security team compiles a list of license plate numbers from vehicles that must be excluded from the campus, then the ALPR system reads the plates of cars as they enter the grounds and sends an alert if any of them are direct matches.
Parking Management
On a more mundane level, ALPR systems are also helpful for automating parking management activities, including vehicle entry and exit and payment collection. Removing the need to have the personnel, often from the company’s security team, manning the entries and exits to parking lots can help to reallocate human resources more effectively. Security officers can instead monitor the system from afar and receive alerts when unauthorized entry attempts occur, allowing them to focus more on core activities.
Integration Into Unified Security Systems
ALPR systems are most effective when implemented as part of a broader unified security solution. The alternative of purchasing ALPR systems and software from one vendor, access control technology from another, and video monitoring hardware and software from a third and then attempting to integrate them is cumbersome and unnecessary. There are now software vendors out there that specialize in providing physical security solutions for highly sensitive corporate environments, and they offer ALPR modules as part of broader physical security systems.
It’s Time to Make a Change
For companies and organizations still relying on large teams of security guards using outdated software and manual access control solutions, investing in ALPR should be a part of a broader shift towards improved overall security processes and protocols. The money invested into a quality security system now will pay off in the long run in the form of lower threats and more efficient use of time by the company’s current security team.