Connecticut State Police are using technology to spot potential problems on the road.
License plate reader technology alerts police when a car driving by may be unregistered, stolen, linked to a missing persons case, or more.
One Connecticut State trooper was honored Tuesday for putting the technology to good use.
“We do get our share of stolen cars but we don’t get our share of stolen cars involved in a homicide,” explained Trooper Jason Cassavecchia.
Cassavecchia was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 84 in Danbury last July when a car drove by that came back as stolen.
He alerted nearby troopers, and when they stopped the car, they discovered that the driver was wanted for murder in New York.
It wouldn’t have been possible with the license-reading technology hooked to his car, powered by cameras that are increasingly fast and accurate.
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“It’s an extra set of eyes I mean obviously we’re still doing our job but this is just doing an additional service to us,” he said.
The company that created and sells the technology honored Cassavecchia for his work.
“The Connecticut State Police are doing a wonderful job with the license plate recognition program they’re out there every day,” said Pat Fox, the national sales director for Secure Watch 24.
Drivers who spoke with NBC Connecticut said the technology makes them feel safer on the roads.
“I think it’s a good thing because you don’t know who’s on the road next to you and its time saving probably for police they can capture more people at one time you know if they’ve committed a crime it’s a good way to catch people,” Raeann Paparello of Middletown said.
Cassavecchia agrees, especially after what the system alerted him to in that lucky stop last summer.
“For this technology to be able to pick that up is important for the safety of the public, I am a strong believer in this technology,” he said.
The technology isn’t only used by State Police. It’s expanding across local police departments, now in Wallingford, Cheshire and soon Guilford, among others.
