U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Evaluating the Crime Control and Cost-Benefit Effectiveness of License Plate Recognition (LPR) Technology in Patrol and Investigations
Award Information
Awardee
              George Mason University
Award #
              2013-IJ-CX-0017
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Fairfax, VA
Congressional District
              11
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2013
Total funding (to date)
              $553,713
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 13 Research and Evaluation on Policing
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2013, $553,713)
The project will consist of analyzing the impact of technology on the police, the use of License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology by law enforcement, and build knowledge and improve evidence-based patrol and investigative operations.  This two-year project will consist of four major components: (1) A national survey of 400 police agencies on LPR adoption, deployment, data, and effectiveness; (2) an experimental evaluation of an agency with a large scale LPR deployment in crime hot spots testing directed, proactive, place-based, problem-oriented and focused deterrence patrol with and without the use of LPR; (3) an exploratory analytic assessment of LPR use for investigations that will prospectively track investigative uses of LPR and documents outcomes such as case clearances and shortening time to case closure; and, (4) cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses of the patrol and investigative uses of LPR.
The proposed survey will provide updated information on the use of LPR with a much larger sample of agencies using LPR relative to earlier surveys and will identify potential agencies for the evaluation of LPR deployment in one police agency.  The experiment will focus on the use of LPRs by general patrol or specialized mobile units and will test the effectiveness of LPR v. non-LPR use in the context of geographically-focused and problem-oriented policing-i.e., police efforts focused on small areas or very specific places (e.g., addresses, intersections, or street blocks) where crime is concentrated.  The survey will also identify an agency to participate in an exploratory experiment that will document the choices that officers make in using LPRs to proactively patrol hot spots to better understand LPR use in patrol and develop guides for further use of LPR in the context of evidence-based approaches.  A final component of the experiment will be to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of LPR use in patrol that will compare program outcomes relative to program costs.ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Do license plate readers enhance the initial and residual deterrent effects of police patrol? A quasi-randomized test
                  The Impacts of Large-Scale License Plate Reader Deployment on Criminal Investigations
                  The Rapid Diffusion of License Plate Readers in US Law Enforcement Agencies
                  Effectiveness of License Plate Readers for Patrol and Investigations
                  The Adaptation of License-plate Readers for Investigative Purposes: Police Technology and Innovation Re-invention
                  The Impact of License Plate Recognition Technology (LPR) on Trust in Law Enforcement: A Survey-Experiment Journal of Experimental Criminology
                  Strengthening Policing Science at the National Institute of Justice
                  Understanding Citizen Support for License Plate Readers
                  Community Support for License Plate Recognition
                  Predicting Public Support for the Use of License Plate Recognition Technology by Police
                  Privacy and the impact of emerging surveillance technologies: The case of license plate recognition technology
                  License Plate Reader (LPR) Police Patrols in Crime Hot Spots: An Experimental Evaluation in Two Adjacent Jurisdictions

  
Date Created: September 12, 2013
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      A randomized controlled trial of Co-response for Mental Health Calls for Service to the Police in Fort Collins, CO
                  Internal Affairs Complaint Investigations: A Multi-Site Comparison
                  An Examination of the Law Enforcement Role in Implementing Extreme Risk Protection Orders
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov