Cincinnati Sees Big Results with PIPS Technology

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Federal Signal
Corporation's Safety and Security Systems Group, a leader in advancing
security and well-being, today announced that the Cincinnati Police Department
has deployed Federal Signal PIPS automated license plate recognition (ALPR)
technology to identify stolen vehicles and wanted individuals, locate vehicles
with revenue due to the City for outstanding parking citations, provide an
enhanced crime analysis tool, and to serve as an overall crime deterrent.
The City has read more than 300,000 plates over the past five months,
found over 8,000 vehicles of interest to law enforcement, and arrested about
300 suspects. Among the more notable results, the system has been credited
with helping to apprehend a homicide suspect, bank robber and a copper thief.
"We're not doing dead-end leads anymore," said Captain Jeff Butler of the
Cincinnati Police Department. "We're going with a purpose because there's a
high likelihood that someone is going to be there."
Based on the early success of the first system, seven additional
installations are underway, and there are plans to expand the system to
include fixed camera locations throughout Cincinnati.
"Federal Signal's advanced ALPR technology, which is widely deployed in
Europe, continues to gain traction here in North America," said Michael K.
Wons, vice president and general manager of Federal Signal's Public Safety
Systems Division. "Forward-thinking police departments such as Cincinnati
continue to turn to Federal Signal for total-system solutions that enable law
enforcement leaders to enhance the level of protection they offer their
communities."
Locating vehicles of interest was the initial push for the system within
Cincinnati; however, the benefits of the Federal Signal PIPS Back Office
System Software (BOSS) has quickly gained the attention of the City for its
investigative potential. As an example, a report on a copper burglary
included an eyewitness account of a vehicle leaving the scene of the crime.
Using the vehicle's license plate number, Cincinnati PD was able to locate
when and where the suspect had been seen around the City. Seeing a cluster of
sightings of the vehicle in a particular location, they were able to set up
surveillance and apprehend the suspect.
In addition to locating stolen vehicles and taking wanted individuals off
the street, the system is being used to locate vehicles with outstanding
parking citations. The current tab on outstanding citations currently
represents over $1 million due to the City. In only 30 days, another city
that equipped patrol cars with Federal Signal ALPR technology was able to
locate vehicles with almost $750,000 of associated outstanding citations.
Cincinnati expects to see similar results from their system.
BOSS also provides data sharing and multi-jurisdictional search
capabilities across other agencies that have deployed Federal Signal PIPS
systems. As a result, many other agencies have expressed interest in PIPS
Technology and plan to deploy systems in the near future.
See Federal Signal PIPS in action in Cincinnati online at
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PIPS+Cincinatti&search_type= .
The Codespear-enabled Federal Signal PIPS ALPR system is part of the
Federal Signal Public Safety Systems interoperability platform.
About FS PIPS
FS PIPS Technology, a Federal Signal Company, is a pioneer and the
international market leader in the design and manufacture of automated license
plate recognition technology and optical character recognition software. With
over 12,000 cameras installed worldwide, PIPS continues to set the standard
for both mobile and fixed system deployments across a wide range of
applications. For more information visit www.pipstechnology.com .
About Federal Signal
Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) is a leader in advancing security
and well-being for communities and workplaces around the world. The company
designs and manufactures a suite of products and integrated solutions for
municipal, governmental, industrial and airport customers. Federal Signal's
portfolio of trusted, high-priority products include Bronto aerial devices,
Elgin and Ravo street sweepers, E-ONE fire apparatus, Federal Signal safety
and security systems, Guzzler industrial vacuums, Jetstream waterblasters and
Vactor sewer cleaners. In addition, the company operates consumable industrial
tooling businesses. Federal Signal was founded in 1901 and is based in Oak
Brook, Illinois.
SOURCE Federal Signal Corporation's Safety and Security Systems Group

John Segvich of Federal Signal Corporation's Safety and Security Systems
Group, +1-708-587-3486, jsegvich@federalsignal.com