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Over 75% of crimes in the United States involve a vehicle, underscoring the importance of real-time vehicle tracking and investigation for today’s law enforcement agencies. However, not all ALPR systems are created equal. While many vendors claim to offer robust LPR capabilities and data integration, some rely on incomplete or unreliable data sources—including scraped public databases or unverified third-party data—which can compromise investigations and raise legal and ethical concerns.
In contrast, PlateRanger and CrimeTracer prioritize integrity and compliance by connecting to verified law enforcement records, RMS systems, and vetted sources like Thomson Reuters CLEAR. This ensures that officers work with accurate, actionable intelligence they can trust in the field and in court.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how the seamless integration of PlateRanger and CrimeTracer enhances investigative efficiency and equips law enforcement with smarter, data-informed decision-making tools.
Smarter, Faster Searches with CrimeTracer’s AI Chatbot and PlateRanger Integration
Historically, conducting a detailed search in CrimeTracer meant navigating multiple form fields, using wildcard symbols, and manually applying filters for attributes like make, model, and color. Today, with CrimeTracer’s new AI chatbot, users can simply describe the vehicle they’re looking for in natural language—for example:
“Search for a black Honda sedan with a license plate of TMK1245.”
The chatbot translates this input into a structured query and instantly delivers relevant results. Need to refine the search? Just type a follow-up like “4-door Accord,” and the system searches automatically—no forms, no guesswork.
CrimeTracer’s integration with PlateRanger further amplifies the easy-to-use search functions. Together, they turn each license plate read into an investigative lead. AI-driven person searches can now seamlessly surface related vehicle data, helping users identify suspects, addresses, and linked incidents faster than ever before.
CrimeTracer enables agencies to analyze over a billion records, including RMS reports, CAD 911 records, mugshots, and BOLOs. With PlateRanger, every plate read can be cross-referenced to uncover connections to known offenders, registrants, or past investigations, including data from external sources like Thomson Reuters CLEAR.
By breaking down data silos and enabling real-time link analysis between people, vehicles, locations, and events, this integrated platform helps uncover gang affiliations, serial crimes, and broader criminal networks—streamlining investigations and maximizing public safety impact.
PlateRanger and CrimeTracer integration search results on a license plate.
Use case #1: CrimeTracer and PlateRanger Data Integration at Work in an Armed Robbery Investigation
Let’s take a closer look at a specific at how these technologies work together to expedite an armed robbery investigation.
In this demo scenario, there’s an armed robbery that occurs at a gas station right off the Macarthur freeway at 10:30pm. Witnesses say the armed robber wore a mask, but they saw him speeding away in a white Dodge caravan.
With PlateRanger and the integration with the Rekor Public Safety Network (RPSN), we can search by make, model, and color. After that, we can add the area, date, and time the incident occurred, and then click ‘Search.’
In the demo, we’ll see on the map that the PlateRanger LPR camera picked up a white Dodge Grand Caravan at the corresponding time and date, and there’s also an accompanying license plate number.
Then, thanks to the CrimeTracer integration, we can see that there’s a vehicle that matches this description and license plate. If we scroll down, we can see that there’s a person associated with that license plate, and that his vehicle was cited by the San Francisco Police Department back in 2019.
If we right-click on the person and open his associated details in a new tab, we have all the information we need to pursue this lead for the armed robbery investigation.
Use case #2: CrimeTracer, PlateRanger, ShotSpotter Working Together to Address Gun Crime
CrimeTracer and PlateRanger can also integrate with gunshot detection systems like ShotSpotter to more effectively address gun crime. Here’s a quick breakdown of how they all work together.
When a shots fired incident is reported—either via a 9-1-1 call or automatically detected by ShotSpotter—officers are dispatched to the location. On arrival, they may encounter an aggravated assault victim. After securing the scene and rendering aid, officers or investigators can use the PlateRanger Rekor Blue app on their smartphones to quickly scan and identify nearby license plates.
Investigators can then review PlateRanger camera data from the area to pinpoint vehicles that match witness descriptions or were seen leaving the vicinity around the time of the incident. With this vehicle data, they can turn to CrimeTracer to search for potential matches, previous alerts, or relevant criminal histories. CrimeTracer then adds investigative depth, revealing connections between the nearby vehicles to people, organizations, and past cases to help generate leads and strengthen the investigation.
Smarter Investigations, Scalable Solutions: The Power of CrimeTracer and PlateRanger Integration
The integration of PlateRanger and CrimeTracer brings together two powerful platforms to create a smarter, faster, and more flexible investigative ecosystem. By uniting ALPR data with an advanced search engine that spans over a billion law enforcement records, agencies can streamline casework, increase situational awareness, and accelerate time-to-lead.
Advanced Link Analysis
One of the most impactful outcomes of this integration is the ability to conduct automated link analysis. Investigators can quickly build connections between people, vehicles, locations, and incidents—without having to manually stitch together data from multiple, disconnected systems. CrimeTracer automatically surfaces relevant associations from ALPR reads captured by PlateRanger, enabling real-time generation of link charts to visualize relationships and expand investigations.
This is especially valuable when investigating organized crime, gang affiliations, repeat offenders, or serial crimes. For instance, if a suspect vehicle is tied to multiple records in CrimeTracer, the system can instantly highlight known associates, past incident locations, or co-traveling vehicles captured by PlateRanger. With CrimeTracer, investigations are expedited using data from over 1,300 agency Records Management Systems (RMS) and other criminal justice systems. Crime does not stop at jurisdictional borders, and investigators who search for information across jurisdictions can uncover other agency records that are vital to locating investigative leads. These leads, including additional vehicles—often overlooked in manual reviews—can unlock new investigative paths and strengthen probable cause.
Accelerate Investigations and Boost Efficiency
The integration dramatically improves operational efficiency and real-time responsiveness. Traditional processes—such as calling neighboring agencies, digging through RMS systems, or waiting for BOLOs—are slow and labor-intensive. Now, field officers, RTCC analysts, and detectives share immediate access to cross-jurisdictional data in one centralized platform. Whether responding to gunfire detected by ShotSpotter or canvassing a crime scene, officers can scan nearby plates using the Rekor Blue mobile app and query results in CrimeTracer within seconds.
This seamless workflow reduces redundancy and manual workload. Analysts can deliver actionable intelligence in real time, and investigators can rapidly move from raw data to solid leads, resulting in faster case resolution, increased clearance rates, and more informed decisions in the field.
Scalable for Any Department
PlateRanger and CrimeTracer is a cloud-based solution that eliminates the need for dedicated server hardware—making it highly accessible for agencies of all sizes. Whether a department already has fixed ALPR cameras or is starting from scratch, the system is designed for easy integration. Agencies can deploy the Rekor Blue app when they sign up for PlateRanger on smartphones and tablets, instantly converting mobile devices into license plate readers. This flexibility allows departments to expand their ALPR capabilities at their own pace, from small-scale targeted operations to agency-wide rollouts.
And because PlateRanger integrates directly with CrimeTracer, departments don’t face the high costs or delays associated with building and maintaining complex infrastructure. The secure, cloud-based architecture ensures that officers and analysts always have access to up-to-date data, without overburdening IT staff. It’s a cost-effective, sustainable model for long-term investigative success.
A Proven Model for Modern Policing
Together, PlateRanger and CrimeTracer deliver a powerful, integrated platform that enhances case development, supports proactive enforcement, and accelerates investigations from the field to the command center. By combining ALPR data with extensive law enforcement records and natural language search, agencies can more easily uncover hidden connections and respond more quickly, which can improve public safety outcomes.
Whether you’re identifying a suspect vehicle, tracing a broader criminal network, or simply aiming to work more efficiently—this integration provides the tools to do it smarter.
