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Marc Giauque reportingYou may not know it, but there's a chance your license plate has been scanned by a passing car. The Division of Motor Vehicle Enforcement has been fine-tuning some high-tech gizmos they say have helped them recover more than 100 stolen cars.
They look like spotlights on the gray Nissan SUV. But really they're high powered, high speed cameras.
Charlie Roberts, Utah Tax Commission: "The systems relatively new and we anticipate a lot more in the future."
The Tax Commission's Charlie Roberts says the license plate recognition system - called PIPS - uses infrared technology to read the reflective material on license plates, combined with a computer database that instantly checks those plates. Sgt. Curtis Stoddard is one of the officers who uses it.
Sgt. Curtis Stoddard, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division: "The company says it will read up to 140 miles an hour...so 70 miles in each direction. You do have...I mean it does work on the freeway no problem."
We hear dings in the background as plates are read. Digital photos pop up as we pass cars.
Sgt. Curtis Stoddard, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division: "It's out there looking for that amber alert, that stolen vehicle now......and right there picks up."
For Stoddard, it's a very effective way to check, say a parking lot for stolen vehicles.
Sgt. Curtis Stoddard, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division: "As an officer, I'm gonna just focus on certain things...broken windows, punched locks but this doesn't care. It doesn't just look for those things. It's going to run everything."
Sgt. Curtis Stoddard, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division: "Officers are going to use their time better. It's more accurate. They work well at night.
Sgt. Curtis Stoddard, Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division: "It isn't really big brother. I mean you personally driving down the road can see that vehicle, see that plate. So it's not taking anything that's not already there."
The Division hopes to have four of these vehicles in the future, there are three now. Stoddard says the division lends two of them on an occasional basis to other agencies.
