February 27, 2024
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
The Ben Franklin Bridge is one of four area bridges that will have automated license plate readers installed.
Drivers on four bridges over the Delaware River will now be monitored by New Jersey police.
The Delaware River Port Authority approved a 10-year contract with the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety and New Jersey State Police for automated license plate readers (ALRP) on the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, which connect the Philadelphia area to New Jersey.
In addition to license plates, ALRPs record the location, date and time and can snap a picture of the driver and passengers. Police can use the information to see if a particular vehicle was at the scene of a crime or track a suspect. Law enforcement can share the information with other agencies.
Police will monitor the readers, which they say will help with investigations. According to the Port Authority, New Jersey State Police will pay for the installation and maintenance of the readers.
"The ALPR technology will aid in counterterrorism efforts, Amber Alerts and missing persons cases, along with crime detection and prevention," Port Authority Communications Manager Mike Williams wrote to PhillyVoice in an email.
Officials declined to share when the cameras would be up and running, and documents do not show how much the technology will cost New Jersey State Police.
Critics of ALPR technology say it's an invasion of privacy for drivers, plates can be misread and police can abuse the information.
While some bridges in the area already monitor drivers with pay-by-plate technology for tolls in lieu of a cash system, the Delaware River bridges still accept cash payments with no plans to change.
