Peninsula Daily News news sources
SEATTLE — Every motor vehicle that boards a Washington State Ferry at the Bainbridge Island or Colman Dock terminals is now having its license plate scanned, the State Patrol said Wednesday.
The agency has begun testing a camera system designed to automatically check the license plates of every vehicle entering the two busy terminals.
The State Patrol calls the device an Automatic License Plate Recognition System.
It reads the license plates of every vehicle entering the terminals, digitizes the number and checks it against four lists, said State Patrol Capt. Mark Thomas, head of the patrol’s homeland security division.
The digitized license plate number will check to see if the vehicle is stolen, if there is an AMBER child-abduction alert involving the vehicle; if a person associated with the vehicle is wanted for a serious crime and if the license plate number is associated with a known or suspected terrorist.
“Recognition of the plate may be automatic, but any action is still taken by live police officers using discretion and good judgment,” Thomas said in a statement.
“The system simply alerts troopers to vehicles that might warrant some extra attention.”
