In late 2009, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued a request for information (RFI) to determine how the agency could establish a large scale, statewide automated ticket enforcement system. Typically, when a city, county or state develops an automated ticketing system, it is used for speeding or running red lights. This is not the case in Oklahoma; instead, it will be used for expired insurance offenders.

The Oklahoma DPS is tasked with driver's license services and, as part of a recent upgrade to the license plates, each plate now contains a barcode. The DPS' intent is to utilize these bar codes as part of the automated ticket enforcement.

After reviewing all RFI responses, the Oklahoma DPS determined the best course of action was to move forward with automated license plate recognition (ALPR). The use of approximately 20 ALPR cameras, along with the Oklahoma Compulsory Insurance Verification System (OCIVS) database that went live in July 2009, will allow the state to monitor and store vehicle license plates and issue tickets for those with expired insurance.

While some states and counties implement red light cameras and speed enforcement as a deterrent, there will always be critics who claim it is purely a revenue generating program. The Oklahoma DPS developed its system as a way to generate $95 million. It has yet to be seen whether or not this program will hinder the development of similar systems in other states, but one thing is clear: ALPR is an emerging technology that will continue to spread.

INPUT recently reported on the International Association Chief of Police/Law Enforcement Information Management conference on ALPR and detailed what the technology means for vendors and public safety agencies. For the most part, this technology is used for tracking vehicles and solving crimes. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see how it emerges as part of automated ticket enforcement and whether it changes how the public views the technology.