How to Harness ALPR for Greater Security Efficiency and Collaboration

• By Bruce Canal
• April 23, 2025

Within higher education campus environments, the demand for greater security, efficiency, and resources is ever-present. Many higher education teams are adopting advanced technologies to secure their campus, streamline operations, and continue to best serve their students and faculty. Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology stands out for its ability to meet a wide range of campus objectives.  

While traditionally ALPR solutions collect only information on the license plate, select ALPR solutions go beyond the license plate and collect data about vehicle characteristics. This may include details such as type, color, location, and speed. This complete data is a valuable campus resource for your campus.  

Exploring the applications of ALPR reveals how you can bridge the gap between you and your parking and transportation counterparts. This connection can make your campus safer and more efficient.  

ALPR for Campus Security
Chances are you are already using video cameras to boost security in your campus parking lots and along busy roads. However, without ALPR, you lack the necessary context that could make a difference when responding to security threats.  

Imagine someone driving off in a vehicle involved in an on-campus incident. The information gathered from the ALPR camera can collect the vehicle’s license plate, color, and type. This information is then stored in the system’s database. Security personnel now receive immediate alerts whenever ALPR cameras located throughout campus detect this vehicle of interest.  

Witnesses can also give helpful leads but may struggle to remember specific details, especially license plate numbers. An ALPR system resolves this issue by allowing you to search the database based on characteristics such as vehicle type, color, and even partial plate numbers. This capability will enable you to efficiently narrow down vehicles of interest and enhance the effectiveness of your investigations.  

Lastly, today’s best ALPR systems can analyze the speed of a passing vehicle. This feature is invaluable from a campus safety perspective. Security personnel can monitor vehicle speeds in real time, allowing them to respond quickly to reckless driving behavior. If the system detects a vehicle speeding in a designated area, it can trigger an alert, allowing security to intervene promptly.  

ALPR for Parking Management
As you advocate for ALPR technology, it's essential to communicate the dual benefits of enhanced security and improved operations. Start by working with your campus’s parking department to determine any inefficiencies they may be experiencing.  

For example, many parking systems rely on physical tags or decals that must be prominently displayed on vehicles. These tags or decals distinguish authorized vehicles from unauthorized vehicles within designated parking areas.  

However, such traditional parking management methods are inefficient and costly. Physical permits often create administrative burdens, such as the need for regular renewals, permit distribution, and manual verification.  

With ALPR for parking management, students, staff, and visitors are no longer burdened by manual processes. Drivers can register their vehicles online. They just need to enter their license plate number and vehicle details into the system. Once registered, vehicles are automatically recognized upon entering designated parking areas. Verification is then conducted via access control integration or mobile enforcement tools.  

This self-service solution eliminates physical permits to reduce administrative burdens and overhead costs. Teams can further reallocate resources that were once allocated for visual parking verification. It also improves security by eliminating the possibility that someone will lose, steal, or share permits.  

It's also possible your campus’s parking and transportation department already uses ALPR. They may not realize that the same system can enhance campus security. At the same time, you and your team might be overlooking ALPR for applications beyond security. This gap in awareness is why communication is so important.  

The Value of Cross-Department Collaboration
The main benefit of applying ALPR systems to enhance security and parking management is cost savings. Now, you and your campus’s parking department can share the resources needed to implement and maintain the technology. This makes it simpler to justify the investment in ALPR technology.  

Security teams gain access to valuable vehicle data that aids investigations and incident response, while transportation teams benefit from automated, more efficient parking enforcement.  

The insights gained from ALPR data also prove invaluable for long-term planning and traffic management. Your campus can predict peak traffic by analyzing historical and real-time vehicle data. It can also optimize parking layouts and design more efficient traffic routes. This forward-thinking approach improves the overall experience for those on campus.  

Finally, consider how ALPR can strengthen your ties with local law enforcement. Police monitoring a vehicle linked to an incident off campus can rely on the campus’s ALPR system to alert them if that vehicle appears on campus. Officers can respond quickly if the ALPR system detects a vehicle of interest. This potentially prevents further incidents and aids agencies in ongoing investigations.  

Evaluating ALPR Solutions
There are a few key considerations to keep in mind when selecting the right ALPR system for your campus.  

• Accuracy - Can the cameras capture quality images in diverse weather and light conditions? Are the reads accurate from various angles? At what speeds can we gather accurate readings? These are all questions you should ask your solution provider.
• Mobility - High-quality solutions allow you to deploy mobile ALPR cameras. This means that a patrol vehicle can effectively enforce parking lots using ALPR cameras mounted on the exterior. Select ALPR solutions also offer mobile phone connectivity, converting your phone into a helpful enforcement tool. You can securely access your ALPR system and verify parking permissions or hotlists while on the go.
• Analytics and operation software - Analytics provided at the edge deliver real-time insights. These analytics include plate numbers, vehicle type, color, date, time, and location. You’ll also want easy-to-understand reports that enable you and your colleagues to use available data to make informed decisions.
• Data privacy and security - Look for a solution that encrypts data, stores it securely, and complies with privacy regulations. ALPR systems gather vehicle information but do not record personal identity details. Still, you should ensure transparency with stakeholders regarding how you use this data. You can do this either via posted signage or online policies.

Seeing Beyond Security
The future of campus security depends on breaking down the barriers between departments. ALPR systems are a great starting point for accomplishing this. Their ability to meet multiple campus objectives opens the door to enhanced security, efficiency, and collaboration. By applying ALPR technology across campus, you can enhance your situational awareness while improving the overall campus experience.