POCATELLO — The Police Department is rolling out its new license plate readers along city streets and the devices have already resulted in multiple arrests.

Using information gleaned from the technology, Pocatello police said they have apprehended a hit-and-run suspect, arrested one person on a warrant and retrieved a stolen vehicle.

“It’s a game changer in multiple ways,” said Pocatello police Lt. Zac Bartschi who’s been with the department since 2007. “It’s a tool we can use to solve more crimes and make the community safer. It’s also a force multiplier in that it helps police officers respond quicker and solve cases quicker.”

The Pocatello Police Department spent about $102,000 to purchase 34 license plate readers from Georgia-based Flock Safety.

Pocatello police said the purchase is evidence of their commitment to use the latest technology to fight crime. The readers are being placed along city streets to provide Pocatello police with a technological edge over criminals by capturing the license plate numbers and descriptions of passing vehicles. The cameras can also be moved to different locations to allow police to focus their attention on any area of the city experiencing an increase in crime.

Police can use information obtained via the license plate readers in everything from missing person cases, to robbery and murder investigations, to searching for stolen cars and fugitives.

The license plate readers not only create a photo record of the license plate numbers of passing vehicles but they also collect information such as the make, model and color of vehicles. The information is saved for 30 days, giving officers certified on the technology ample time to use it in investigations.

As proof of how popular the technology is with Pocatello police, the installation of the city’s first license plate readers began in late February and as of last week about three-fourths of the department’s 100 officers have become trained and certified to use the devices as part of their investigations.

Bartschi said the department expects to have all of the license plate readers installed on city streets and 100 percent of its officers certified by the end of March.

“Our officers want access to it because it’s a great tool to help solve crimes,” Bartschi said. “They can use it in their patrol cars or back at the station.”

Bartschi pointed to the recent hit-and-run incident where police used the license plate readers to apprehend the suspect as proof of the technology’s worth.

“With the hit-and-run, the only information we had was there was an accident in the area of the Gould Street overpass, the victim pulled over and (the suspect’s) silver or beige Jeep or SUV left the scene,” Bartschi said. “We were able to use the license plate readers to go back and find out who the suspect was who hit the victim. Just having some information on the type and color of the vehicle was enough for us to find the (suspect’s) vehicle and get its license plate.”

Pocatello police used the plate number gleaned from the license plate readers to then track down and apprehend the suspect.

The license plate readers also immediately alert police when the devices detect stolen vehicles or vehicles belonging to people with arrest warrants if that information has been entered with the National Crime Information Center. The license plate readers have access to the center’s database.

Once the license plate readers send police an alert, officers are immediately dispatched to the area to investigate.

Bartschi said the public needs to know that in addition to officers having to be trained and certified to use the license plate readers, there are protocols in place to prevent the technology from being misused.

“When an officer searches the system they have to have a reason, an actual report number, and on top of that we do audits,” Bartschi said. “Every key stroke is watched and recorded so we’re sure the system is being utilized properly. The public trusts us and we don’t want to take away that trust, especially in our community.”

Pocatello police said the license plate readers don’t collect any information about a vehicle’s speed and the Police Department has no interest in using the technology to cite motorists for traffic infractions. The license plate readers are also not capable of facial recognition, police said.

Bartschi said police want to highlight the effectiveness of the license plate readers so the community gains an appreciation for the technology and so criminals are deterred from committing crimes in Pocatello.

“This definitely allows us to solve more crimes and make the community safer,” he said.