License plate readers on Cedar Rapids police 'wish list'

License-plate recognition systems like the technology the Des Moines Police Department is considering for two of its patrol cars are on the “wish list” for the Cedar Rapids Police Department, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

But with an already tight budget, Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said, Cedar Rapids has not made it a priority to acquire scanning systems with the technology to read license plates on passing vehicles and identify stolen cars, crime suspects and driving scofflaws.

“It's one of those wish list things,” Hamblin said. “But we have other priorities ahead of that.”

Cedar Rapids currently has cameras poised to catch speeding motorists and those running through red lights, and Hamblin said the city can use that equipment to look for a suspect vehicle – if officers already know the license plate number.

“We can notify our vendor and say, ‘Hey, we are looking for this red Corvette, license plate ABC123, and then they can configure it so that it's all that the cameras look for,” Hamblin said.

But mounting technology in individual squad cars that scan for wanted license plate numbers is not in the department's immediate future, she said.

The Des Moines City Council has given its police department permission to seek proposals from vendors of the license-plate readers. The goal would be to outfit two vehicles with the equipment, which also could be used to look for Amber Alert vehicles, and possibly buy more if they're successful.