# Mobile (Vehicle-Mounted) ALPR A subtype of [[Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR)|ALPR]] deployment in which **the camera, processing unit, and platform connection are installed in a patrol vehicle rather than on a fixed pole** at a static location. Mobile LPR systems sweep plates wherever the officer drives — producing a different operational data shape than fixed-network LPR: lower per-camera read volume (since the camera is only active when the vehicle is in use), but broader spatial coverage and more flexible deployment. The corpus's documented instance is **PCSO Patrol Unit 913**, equipped in February 2021 with a [[Genetec, Inc.|Genetec]] AutoVu Patroller system as part of the federal PSN18 grant procurement; see [[SkyCop Invoice 8381 — Pulaski County Genetec System]]. ## How it appears in the corpus **The PCSO Patrol Unit 913 mobile-LPR deployment (February 2021):** Per the PSN18 closeout Equipment Inventory Report and the [[SkyCop, Inc.]] Invoice #8381 (09/08/2021), the mobile LPR system installed in Patrol Unit 913 consisted of: | Component | Cost | Function | |---|---:|---| | **(Mobile) SC-AU-X-XPU-X1S** — Genetec SharpX system main processing unit X1S, single processor configuration | $5,780 | The vehicle-mounted processing brain | | **(Mobile) SC-AU-XS-VGA-GENERIC** — 2 Generic Sharp XS VGA cameras | $5,000 (qty 2) | The two vehicle-mounted plate-reading cameras | | **(Mobile) SC-LPR Rapid Deployment Case** | $700 | Pelican case with power supply, cables, quick disconnects for moving the system between vehicles | | **(Mobile) SC-G-AU-P-MBASE PATROLLER** — Genetec AutoVu Patroller vehicle software license + 1 patroller license | $0 (included) | The vehicle-application software that captures plates and routes them to Security Center | | **(Mobile) SC-AU-M-OFFLINEMAP-NA** — Mapping license including data from North America (per vehicle license) | $500 | Vehicle-specific mapping for plate-location correlation | | **(Mobile) SC-ADV-LPR-M-J1Y** — Genetec Advantage 1 AutoVu mobile system connection to Security Center, 1 year | $200 | Annual cloud-platform connection license | | **(Mobile) Installation and Programming** | $200 | Vehicle installation labor | Total mobile-LPR equipment cost: approximately **$12,580** of the $75,287.29 PSN18 grant. The remainder funded the 3 fixed multi-camera SkyCop enclosures at Arch St, McArthur Dr, and Frazier Pike. ## Operational characteristics - **Activation window:** mobile LPR is active only when the patrol vehicle is in use. PCSO Patrol Unit 913 presumably operated mobile-LPR during officer shifts; the system likely paused when the vehicle was at the station or off-duty. - **Spatial flexibility:** the mobile-LPR system reads plates of every parked or moving vehicle the patrol unit drives past — producing a much broader spatial-coverage profile than fixed cameras at single locations. - **Officer-context integration:** mobile LPR can be correlated with officer activity (an officer driving a specific neighborhood produces a localized plate-read footprint; a high-traffic patrol route produces a different one). - **Lower data-flow per camera:** mobile LPR captures only when the vehicle is moving; a 24/7 fixed camera at an arterial intersection produces 10-100× more reads per day than a single mobile system. ## Comparison with fixed-camera ALPR | Dimension | Mobile (Patroller) LPR | Fixed (Falcon) LPR | |---|---|---| | Activation | Vehicle-state-dependent | 24/7 (solar-powered) | | Spatial coverage | Broad, varying with patrol pattern | Single location, fixed | | Per-camera read volume | Low (officer-shift-dependent) | High (10,000+ reads/day at arterial sites) | | Operational accountability | Tied to specific officer/vehicle | No officer association at read time | | Vendor lock-in (Flock model) | Less applicable (mobile is one-time hardware) | Higher (recurring subscription) | | Permit requirements | None (vehicle-mounted) | Possible (pole permits, ARDOT permits) | ## Notes - **The mobile/fixed split at PCSO 2021** is the corpus's first documented Arkansas LE-agency hybrid ALPR deployment. 6 fixed cameras at 3 sites + 1 mobile-LPR in Patrol Unit 913 is a 2-axis deployment producing both the wide-area passive surveillance (fixed cameras) and the officer-driven active surveillance (mobile). - **PCSO's 2023 transition to Flock did not include a mobile-LPR component** in the documented contract. The 6 Falcon cameras at the ARDOT-permitted locations are all fixed. Whether PCSO retained or replaced the mobile Patrol Unit 913 system independently is not in the corpus. - **Whether other Arkansas LE agencies operate mobile-LPR systems** is not directly documented in the corpus. [[Conway Police Department]]'s pre-Flock procurement was structured around fixed cameras (per the SkyCop estimate documented in `PD-2026-477`). [[Fayetteville Police Department]]'s Axon Fleet 3 trial was vehicle-mounted but is a different product category (in-car video with LPR feature activated on existing in-car cameras). - **The Genetec AutoVu Patroller** is a specific product line that has been the LE-mobile-LPR market standard for over a decade. Flock's Falcon Flex is a partial competitor in the location-flexible category but is structurally different (portable / self-installation vs. vehicle-mounted with installation by the integrator). - *Observation, distinct from the record:* mobile LPR is operationally accountable in ways fixed LPR is not — every plate read is associated with a specific officer/vehicle/shift. This creates a different surveillance-data civil-liberties profile (the reads can be attributed to specific government-employee conduct) but also a different operational-utility profile (the reads can be correlated with documented police activity in space and time).