WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WECT) – The Town of Wrightsville Beach is expected to select a vendor for an automated license plate recognition system soon.
The equipment will have the capability to scan license plates as vehicles enter the island and give police real-time information, like if the car is being operated by a known felon or if the driver has outstanding traffic violations.
In March 2009, the town applied for a federal grant and found out recently it received $160,000 to be used to purchase the device. Wrightsville Beach will have to provide $53,000 as part of a funding match.
In October 2011, the Board of Aldermen decided that $48,000 of the needed money for the local match would come from the Wrightsville Beach Police Department’s federal forfeiture account and not from the general fund balance. With the exception of $5,000 set aside last year, no other tax-payer money would be used to be the equipment.
The town received the following six bids from companies to install the equipment:
- Dana Safety Supply: $44,675
- PIPS Technology: $47,392
- Major Police Supply: $48,592
- NDIRS: $49,657
- Federal Signal: $50,187
- ELSAG: $60,345
After receiving several demonstrations and discussing details of the equipment, the Police Department is recommending the Board go with the bid from ELSAG. It was the most expensive of the six proposals, but according to a town memo ELSAG’s equipment, operational functionality and system support were better than the other vendors.
