Automated Licence Plate Recognition -Targeting Prolific Prohibited Drivers Road Safety Unit, RoadSafetyBC, Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General in partnership with Lower Mainland Integrated Road Safety Unit April 2019

ALPR Began in 2006 as pilot project between Province of BC and RCMP with seven equipped police vehicles Objective: Improve roadside enforcement efficiency and make roads safer Reduce auto theft and motor vehicle violations, in particular those related to prohibited, suspended, unlicensed and uninsured drivers. Assist in recovery of stolen vehicles, property and related vehicle criminality Currently 52 ALPR systems in BC

ALPR

ALPR – Research and Evaluations 2012 ALPR Deployment Review Consistency in top charges and enforcement actions No licence, no insurance, driving prohibited/suspended Notices of driving prohibitions, vehicle impounds, IRP increases Steady increase in ALPR initiated enforcement actions as a proportion of total enforcement activity in BC 2014 CCMTA national ALPR project confirmed ALPR has potential to reduce unlicensed driving through specific and general deterrence

ALPR – Key Statistics Annually 3.5 million plates read with 2% hits 23% of hits responded to with 29% resulting in charges and 12% resulting in enforcement actions Top charges and enforcement actions: no driver licence, no insurance, Notices of Driving Prohibitions, vehicle impounds and written warnings Research and statistics show suspended and prohibited drivers continue to drive

Prolific Prohibited Driver Pilot Project 2016 2,658 Prohibited Drivers in Vancouver Lower Mainland 312 individuals with 2 or more Prohibited convictions These individuals have 10,949 contacts with Police Assumption: Subjects continue to drive while prohibited Objective: To target high-risk offending drivers and remove them from the roads, making communities and roads safer. Question: Is there a correlation between high value / active criminals and prolific prohibited drivers?

Results of PPD Pilot Project 9 week pilot project ( Oct 18 – Dec 16 2016) 2 person team 41 Arrests 41 Criminal Charges 22 Motor Vehicle Act Charges 6 Stolen Vehicles Recovered 11 Arrest Warrants Executed Seized: vehicles, cash, drugs, numerous stolen property

Prohibited Driver Enforcement Team (PDET) Fully funded, permanent team created in Spring 2017, consisting of six members from both municipal police and RCMP PDET members supplied with unmarked, unconventional police vehicles; provided with surveillance training and related equipment Team uses unmarked police vehicle equipped with ALPR system. Third side-facing ALPR camera recently added for parking lots. Team often will use second ALPR equipped vehicle Dedicated email address created to gather intel from RCMP and municipal police agencies. Ediv_Prohibited_Driving@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Partnerships Police Helicopter Air 1 Assist with vehicle surveillance Video of offence Probation Office Assist with monitoring high-risk drivers on court ordered conditions Civil Forfeiture Office Seizure of offence related property (Vehicles, Cash, etc.) Municipal Police Departments & RCMP Detachments Assist with identifying high-risk prohibited drivers within their jurisdiction that pose a risk to public safety, providing real-time targets to PDET

2017 PDET Team

2017 and 2018 Results 2017 = 476,529 2018 = 597,356

Questions / Contact Information Anna Aroutiounian RSU Program Manager, RoadSafetyBC Anna.Aroutiounian@gov.bc.ca Insp. Mark BAXTER OIC, Enhanced Traffic Services mark.baxter@rcmp-grc.gc.ca Cpl. John MERRYMAN LMD IRSU PDET john.merryman@rcmp-grc.gc.ca