• Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) is Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) most impactful patrol function for volunteers in the Neighbors on Watch (NOW) Program.
• Volunteer ALPR activities enhance VPD patrol operations and increases service delivery to community members.
• Provides volunteers with a meaningful way to assist with enhancing community safety in Vancouver. 

Parking enforcement is a large element for vehicular clutter and in line with the Vancouver Municipal Code which is written and enforced under the umbrella of livability and safety for the members of our community. Having the ability to look up license plates and see that the respective vehicle has not moved will supplement VPD and Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) efforts making parking enforcement a more manageable responsibly.

Prior to VPD updating ALPR equipment through Axon, volunteers utilized outdated equipment that regularly stopped functioning, rendering it out of service for months at a time. Even with equipment challenges, 160 stolen vehicles have been identified by volunteers since 2018. The functionality of the ALPR allows a license plate to be run through the Axon Evidence Dashboard and see the number of occurrences, images, locations, times, and dates for when an ALPR has driven past a specific license plate.

The USAI funding, through the Citizen Corps Program, is a federal passthrough grant that will allow VPD to invest in licenses for ALPR’s for the NOW Program. 

1. Enhance VPD patrol operations.
2. Increase service delivery to community members.