Genetec has announced that the City of New Orleans’ Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) has deployed its Genetec AutoVu Cloudrunner to extend the capabilities of its automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) program.

According to the company, the system helps to gather evidence in the historic French Quarter, with solar-powered ALPR technology that captures images day or night.

The New Orleans RTCC uses Genetec Omnicast, the video management system of Genetec Security Center, to manage over 1,000 cameras deployed throughout the city.

They also have 150 Genetec AutoVu SharpV ALPR cameras, and now, 16 Genetec AutoVu Cloudrunner cameras, with another 22 to be deployed.

Smart city security

“The historic nature of the French Quarter made implementing technologies challenging,” said New Orleans RTCC Director Ross Bourgeois.

“Since Cloudrunner isn’t hard wired, it gave us the flexibility to deploy cameras where we couldn’t before.

“There are decorative historic poles that don’t provide as much lighting as a more modern neighborhood, and Cloudrunner performs really well in low light.

“Today, we can gather additional license plate reads and query suspect vehicles that are entering and existing in the area.

“I think, more than changing our operation, these modern devices have really helped us enhance security in one of the oldest and most popular neighborhoods in the country.”

The company highlights that AutoVu Cloudrunner securely stores vehicle information such as vehicle color, type, make, model as well as behavior analytics.

This allows investigators to narrow their search even when there is no – or only partial – license plate information available or a vague vehicle description.