Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Purdue University Installs License Plate Reading Cameras

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/02/22

The Purdue University Police Department in West Lafayette, Ind., recently announced that it is partnering with public safety technology company Flock Safety to install six automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras around campus. A news release reports that the department has signed a one-year contract to test the Flock system, joining the Lafayette and West Lafayette police departments as law enforcement agencies deploying the technology.

“Incidents involving students being shot by Splat or BB or airsoft guns this past spring semester were difficult to investigate,” said PUPD Chief John Cox. “We often had video from our campuswide digital video system to give us basic vehicle information, but no license plate information could be obtained. The Flock system will allow us to search for vehicles based on a video and victim description and obtain a license plate number to use to continue the investigation.”

The Flock Safety ALPR cameras are designed to capture license plates and vehicle characteristics instead of people, according to the university news release. Plates associated with reported crimes—such as stolen vehicles or owners wanted on warrants as documented by state and national databases—trigger a real-time alert sent to officers. Vehicles associated with missing persons in AMBER or Silver Alerts also send notifications to law enforcement.

Purdue has also deployed an updated policy around the ALPR system’s usage. Data will not be sold or shared with third parties, and each vehicle search will require justification.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Minnesota District Starts Construction on Early Childhood Learning Center

    Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools in Sauk Rapids, Minn., recently announced that construction has begun on a new early childhood learning center and a new outdoor activities complex, according to a news release.