May 6, 2020
Updated:
October 15, 2021
Rekor Systems Selected by New Rochelle Police Department to Provide AI-Driven Vehicle Recognition Solutions
Rekor Systems, Inc, (REKR) ("Rekor"), a Maryland-based company providing real-time roadway intelligence through AI-driven decisions, announced today that the New Rochelle Police Department ("the Department") has entered into a five-year, $225,000 subscription agreement for the Company's Watchman vehicle recognition software. The New Rochelle Police Department is the 7th largest in the state of New York and serves more than 78,000 citizens.
The Department will employ Watchman software, which instantly turns existing IP cameras into high-powered vehicle recognition systems, for 50 existing security and traffic cameras. Additionally, it will add two Edge cameras and two mobile cameras. The Department has also purchased the Rekor Hub. Built for demanding conditions and high volume, the Rekor Hub eliminates the need to purchase a server or PC for local processing and is an all-in-one vehicle recognition processing solution, pre-loaded and configured with Rekor Watchman software.
"We are pleased to add the New Rochelle Police Department to our growing list of law enforcement customers and to further expand the Rekor Public Safety Network throughout the state of New York," said Robert Berman, CEO, Rekor. "The simple integration of our robust software can turn any existing traffic or security camera into a powerful vehicle recognition system - without loss of its original function - making our solution cost-effective for law enforcement searching for an ALPR solution that also provides make, model and color identification, without the addition of prohibitively expensive hardware."
As part of its subscription, and at no additional cost, the New Rochelle Police Department will be joining the Rekor Public Safety Network ("RPSN"). Any state or local law enforcement agency participating in the RPSN will be able to access real-time data from any part of the network at no cost. The Company is initially launching the network by aggregating vehicle data from customers in over 30 states. With thousands of automatic license plate recognition cameras currently in service that capture approximately 30 million plate reads per week, the network is expected to be live in 2020. New Rochelle is the 11th New York State police department to become part of the RPSN, following Rotterdam Police Department who joined in September 2019.
Rather than buying expensive new cameras that take weeks or months to ship and install, Rekor's software can be deployed to support existing traffic or surveillance cameras immediately. It eliminates the need for two separate cameras - one for vehicle recognition functionality, one for general surveillance recording - as Rekor's solution can be used to collect license plate data and information such as the make, type, and color of a vehicle using the same camera that provides surveillance monitoring. This can represent a savings of tens of thousands of dollars per camera, as well as greater flexibility to expand or decrease usage as needed without large capital expenditures on hardware.
"We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and utilizing cutting-edge technologies to help keep our officers and community safe. The integration of Rekor's Watchman software will provide our officers with further resources to solve crime and ensure the safety of our residents," said Joseph F. Schaller, Police Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department. "We look forward to working with Rekor to create a safer community in New Rochelle and throughout New York State as part of the Rekor Public Safety Network."