Protective bollards in the parking lot to protect patrons and entry points.
Using LPR as a Layer of Facility Security
Establishing and maintaining effective facility security requires physical security layering, a strategy that uses multiple layers of protection to prevent, detect, and respond to critical threats.
In this article, we will review many of these physical security layers and how they are beneficial from a preventative and proactive standpoint, specifically focusing on the critical role that license plate reader (LPR) technology can play in a larger facility security strategy.
How to Improve Facility Security: Use Preventative Measures
Some preventative measures you can employ to keep dangerous people or weapons off the premises include:
Signage and audio recording at the building entrance communicating that weapons are prohibited on the premises.
Two-way radio communication so on-site security managers can easily relay suspicious individuals or activity.
Automatic lock mechanisms on doors that staff can utilize if suspicious person(s) have been identified prior to entering the building.
An AI-based weapons detection system designed to quickly and accurately screen individuals and their bags.
Protocol in place to slow down or redirect patrons as they enter to provide time for your security team to identify threats and coordinate a response.
Another key preventative measure entails installing cameras, including LPR cameras, in the parking lot, on poles, or at the edges of your building. Research shows that implementing cameras in parking lots resulted in a 51 percent decrease in crimes committed in parking lots.
This next section will review how an LPR can benefit your larger facility strategy in more detail.
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LPR Technology as Part of a Larger Facility Security Strategy
For teams implementing a comprehensive facility security plan, an AI-based LPR technology such as PlateRanger can significantly improve investigative and operational efficiency. Let’s take a closer look at how some of PlateRanger’s key features help accomplish this:
| FEATURE | BENEFIT |
|---|---|
| Feature # 1: Real-time alerts on unapproved vehicles. | Benefit # 1: With PlateRanger, you have the ability to get alerts when an unwanted vehicle is entering the facility, improving your security efforts. |
| Feature # 2: Ability to cross-reference vehicles present across multiple incidences. | Benefit # 2: AI-driven ALPR solutions like PlateRanger offer comprehensive data collection. They recognize partial plates, and detect the color, class, make, and model of vehicles, and cross-reference vehicles that are present across multiple incidents, which increases the likelihood of capturing critical evidence. |
| Feature # 3: High-quality images and video clips. | Benefit #3: High-quality images and video clips can help you quickly gather essential information. Whenever you access an individual record in an LPR system such as PlateRanger, you’re able to pull a high-resolution image of the vehicle from the moment it was captured. PlateRanger’s system can provide high-resolution images even when faced with all sorts of challenging variables, such as adverse weather, stacked lettering, sharp angles, and night captures. Additionally, PlateRanger offers a location map for each read that’s made, as well as a video clip related to each vehicle. This enables a security manager to quickly gather essential information needed to protect the facility. Furthermore, security managers can send this information to law enforcement to report instances of criminal damage, assault or other crime in the facility connected with a suspect who left the premises in a specific vehicle. |
| Feature # 4: Customized alert lists. | Benefit # 4: With PlateRanger, facility security can make their own list of vehicles and license plates that they have and those that have trespassed and add them to an alert list they create. That alert would then ‘hit’ on one of those vehicles if/when they returned to the area with the LPR. This, in turn, would expedite efforts to keep the person(s) of interest off the premises. Additionally, PlateRanger has a whitelist capability that can keep record of all employee license plates, and any non-employee plates can trigger an alert. This can be camera-specific and configured depending on time of day. |
| Feature # 5: Mobile app for maximum flexibility. | Benefit # 5: PlateRanger's mobile application Rekor Blue offers maximum flexibility for facility security officers moving around during their shifts, as the app can be used on foot, in vehicles, or at static checkpoints. This process is straightforward: facility security officers can scan plates in real time with their device camera, and the app queries the scans against the hot lists of vehicle alerts downloaded each time the app is opened. If any matches or flags are associated with the plate, the facility security officer receives an immediate notification, enabling rapid response. |
| Feature # 6: Vehicle traffic statistics. | Benefit # 6: PlateRanger provides the ability to see traffic patterns, facilitating the ability to optimize operations. |
| Feature # 7: Additional video camera for existing security cameras. | Benefit # 7: PlateRanger provides the ability to use the live video to capture entries and exits, facilitating investigative efforts. |
| Feature # 8: Alerts on key customers. | Benefit # 8: PlateRanger provides the ability to alert on high-profile customers for improved customer service. |
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