Sauk Rapids PD Getting Automated License Plate Reader

SAUK RAPIDS -- The Sauk Rapids police department is joining a program that they believe will help them catch criminals faster. Chief Perry Beise says they are partnering with the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office to install an Automated License Plate Reader in one of the city's squad cars.

Beise says the reader will have access to the same information they have now, but it will be faster than if the officer typed it in manually.

People who own cars that have warrants that may be in a neighborhood that they shouldn't be in that might alert us, and just various criminal activity, we can do that currently, what this does  is it automates that process so we get those alerts faster so we can catch criminals faster.

Beise says the cost to the city will be minimal just some staffing and data storage, with the bulk of the expenses paid for by the grant secured by Mille Lacs County.

Beise is hoping to have the Automated License Plate Reader installed in about three months.

The St. Cloud Police Department has partnered with Mille Lacs County on this program for about three years now and has three of the automated readers in their squad cars.