PlateSmart Teams With Integration Partner to Enhance Security for Tampa’s AirFest 2016

Spectators watch as members of Team MacDill are honored for their distinguished accomplishments by the Thunderbirds during Tampa Bay AirFest 2016 at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., March 20, 2016. MacDill was host to aerial demonstrations, static displays and featured the Air Force Thunderbirds, giving the Tampa Bay community the opportunity to witness firsthand the capabilities of the armed forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jenay Randolph)

Visitors to Tampa, Florida’s MacDill Air Force Base the weekend of March 19 and 20 were treated to displays of some of the most sophisticated aircraft in use by the United States Armed Forces as well as the most daring stunt flying they are likely to see in their lifetimes as the base’s annual AirFest air show returned for the first time since 2014. What attendees may not have noticed was the advanced security technology helping to keep them safe during the show’s two-day run. At AirFest 2016, the cornerstone of MacDill’s security was Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology from Oldsmar’s PlateSmart. Technologies. PlateSmart worked in partnership with integrator Sentry View Systems of Melbourne, Fla.

PlateSmart provided its ARES ALPR-based video analytics solution for use at AirFest. It was connected to numerous cameras that were positioned in strategic locations on the base. Many were previously installed on utility poles, and others were mounted on specialized trailers from Sentry View Systems. The entire deployment was accomplished in a few hours. When activated, ARES enabled the cameras to function as license plate reader cameras in addition to their usual monitoring function. License plate numbers and state jurisdictions from all vehicles that passed through the cameras’ views were compared to law enforcement databases to check for possible wanted persons.

According to Jason Jones, director of business development for Sentry View, the system produced hits almost immediately. “We got a lot of alerts — about 75 before 11:00 on Saturday,” he said. This allowed base security to conduct further analysis on the alerts to determine if a potential threat existed in a timely manner.

This is PlateSmart’s second appearance at AirFest. In 2014, the Company’s technology was installed in a civilian police vehicle positioned inside the base’s entry gate with only two cameras. That time, the system scanned over 11,000 license plates in total, 199 of which returned alerts. This year, PlateSmart worked directly with base security personnel for the larger deployment. Although the Company is not at liberty to disclose the total number of plates scanned or alerts returned, the technology proved itself at least as effective if not more so at this year’s AirFest.

“We’re always proud to have our solutions deployed for events like this,” said PlateSmart CEO John Chigos. “We feel it is vitally important to support the men and women tasked with keeping us safe. ARES is a powerful tool not only for public safety, but also for enhanced force protection of our troops and government personnel. At the end of the day, saving lives is what it’s all about. That’s why we’re here.”