Federal Signal's PIPS ALPR Technology Improving Public Safety in Long Beach

Aug. 28, 2008

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. , Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Signal Corporation's Safety and Security Systems Group, a leader in advancing security and well-being, today announced that its PIPS automated license/number plate recognition (ALPR/ANPR) technology is being hailed for its effectiveness in helping California's Long Beach Police Department improve public safety.

Looking to change a three year trend of auto theft increases, Long Beach purchased four PIPS mobile-based systems in December of 2005. "While the system has been extremely effective in combating this trend, we quickly discovered that the value of the PIPS solution went far beyond stolen vehicle recovery," stated Long Beach Police Department Sergeant Chris Morgan who administers the agency's ALPR program. The initial deployment of four systems was so successful that Long Beach purchased an additional five vehicle-based systems in May of 2008 and is now looking to expand the system to also include fixed cameras on roadways throughout the City.

Sgt. Morgan commented on the results seen by the initial nine mobile systems, "Almost 7.5 million plates have been checked since we adopted the system. In addition to recovering over 1,000 stolen vehicles and making almost 200 arrests, the system has helped us to improve the parking situation within the City by enabling us to better enforce the rules -- people are less likely to break the law when they know they will get caught. In the past twelve months, we have begun using the system to enforce our parking regulations downtown. Over 700 vehicles with almost $350,000 in outstanding parking citations have been identified and towed using the PIPS solution. This revenue helps us to justify purchase of additional equipment to improve the safety of our City."

All of the data captured by the nine patrol units is captured in PIPS' Back Office System Software (BOSS) for use by detectives and investigators. The intelligence provided by BOSS has assisted Long Beach in a number of investigations including armed robberies, shootings, carjackings, identity theft, narcotics and homicide. A witness at a recent armed robbery and shooting was able to provide a partial license plate number and vehicle description. Using this information, investigators were able to identify and locate the suspect vehicle with BOSS. This enabled Long Beach to set up surveillance and apprehend multiple suspects.

"The PIPS solution from Federal Signal has been a great investment for Long Beach in many ways. It has proven itself time and again, and the PIPS team has been very responsive to our needs and receptive to our ideas as they continue to innovate their product. We're very pleased with our decision and would strongly recommend the technology to other agencies," commented Sgt. Morgan.

"Leading law enforcement agencies, like the Long Beach Police Department continue to turn to PIPS first for proven ALPR solutions," said Michael K. Wons, vice president and general manager of Federal Signal Corporation's Public Safety Systems Division. "The versatility of ALPR technology helps enable world-class public safety agencies such as Long Beach to enhance the protection that they provide to their communities and citizens every day."

The PIPS ALPR system is part of the Federal Signal Public Safety Systems industry platform.

About PIPS

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 more than 13,000 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 http://www.pipstechnology.com.

About Federal Signal

Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) enhances the safety, security and well-being of communities and workplaces around the world. Founded in 1901, Federal Signal is a leading global designer and manufacturer of products and total solutions that serve municipal, governmental, industrial and institutional customers. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill. , with manufacturing facilities worldwide, the Company operates three groups: Safety and Security Systems, Environmental Solutions and Fire Rescue. For more information on Federal Signal, visit: http://www.federalsignal.com.

SOURCE Federal Signal Corporation's Safety and Security Systems Group

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