Police consider purchase of mobile tag reader

The computer-based device rapidly reads tags as vehicles go by, comparing them against a state database for issues.

“If it gets a hit, it flashes up with a window,” reports Lt. Wes Donaldson.

During the test, Commerce officers made a number of traffic stops for suspended registration and no insurance.

Cops can already type in tag numbers and run them for offenses, but the tag readers are incredibly fast and efficient.

“You cannot conceivably do that as fast as the computer,” Donaldson pointed out. “They can scan both directions. Ours (borrowed for a test) scan to the front.”

The major virtue, Donaldson said, is that they help police remove uninsured vehicles from city streets.

“That would be my perspective,” he said. “It’s a great tool for identifying vehicles that don’t have valid insurance and getting those folks off the roadways.”

There are ancillary benefits as well. If someone is driving without insurance, odds are high that there will be other offenses too, from driving with a suspended registration (the state suspends a vehicle’s registration if it has no insurance coverage) to picking up people with warrants. Many a routine traffic stop results in felony charges, most noticeably drug possession.

During the test, a pair of scanners was mounted on each side of the trunk lid of a patrol car, pointing forward. As vehicles passed to the left or the right, the scanner would run the numbers. Some jurisdictions mount four scanners — two facing forward and two facing the rear, so vehicles traveling in either direction can be scanned.

Donaldson said he is looking into grant sources to help pay for the devices, but given that the fine in municipal court for driving without insurance is a whopping $1,099, it wouldn’t take a whole lot of cases to recover the purchase price.

“It’s a great tool,” Donaldson concluded.