Smile! New cameras help Bradenton police check tags

It's now easier than ever for Bradenton police to check your license plate.

The department now has two new cameras on two of its 2012 Chevrolet Caprice patrol cars. The cameras work with a computer system inside the vehicles called an automated license plate reader system.

Master Patrol Officer David Sullivan said the automated license plate reader system is being used to help officers do their jobs.

"It's a much faster system," he said. "The efficiency of this system versus an officer keying it in is pretty substantial."

The system allows officers to focus on the road, while the computer inside the car picks up expired tags, warrants, and stolen vehicles. In just 10 minutes, Officer Sullivan was able to scan 174 license plates.

Before these cameras and computers were in place officers in Bradenton had to manually look up or call in plates. They now get criminal information instantly. The system can pick up plates at up to 70 miles per hour.

The camera on the back of a patrol car is infrared and can see about 25 feet into darkness. The camera on the front can be adjusted by the officer to point in any direction and get a scan.

The cameras were purchased for about $23,000 through the Edward Burn Justice Assistance Grant.