Timmins police aim to buy licence plate reader to identify suspended drivers on the road
Const. Chris Gauthier of the Timmins Police Service said he's noticing an upward trend in the number of suspended drivers on local roadways.
He said since November 2020, there are approximately 2,400 suspensions in the city, including people who have expired permits, are caught driving stolen vehicles or are unlicensed.
"They’re either more prone to collisions, more aggressive driving, which is why their licence was suspended in the first place,” Gauthier said.
And that's why he pitched a new piece of equipment to administration. It's a licence plate reader and the OPP and local police in Sudbury are already using them. Gauthier said it's a fantastic tool.
“There’s multiple cameras," he said. "They’re consistently scanning licence plates. It can do about 1,800 a minute and it’s essentially just cross-referencing all those licence plates to a database which is attached to the Ministry of Transportation.”
Officials said it's got a price tag of about $32,000 and it's been included in next year's proposed Timmins Police budget.
The Timmins Police Services Board has just approved it, along with several other requests, such as adding four more officers.
“Timmins police is confronting a serious issue as far as officers off on long-term illness, so we are entertaining all sorts of measures to return these officers to the workforce," said police spokesperson Marc Depatie.
"But it’s a process and in the meanwhile, we have to be mindful of the reality that our call for service volume is extremely high."
The proposed $17 million budget must now get approval from Timmins council.
Officials said they also want to improve the organization's computer system and surveillance cameras, and they said it's also time to upgrade the machine used to test suspected drunk drivers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.