Second Impaired Driver Caught with use of ALPR Technology
Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology is now installed in all North Bay Police Service patrol cruisers
A North Bay driver was stopped and arrested for Impaired Driving by Drug, through the use of Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology. This is the second impaired driver within a week that was charged as a result of a traffic stop utilizing the new technology.
On the 7th of April, 2024, officers were on general patrol on Main Street East, in North Bay, when the ALPR system alerted them to a possible suspended driver. The officers began to follow the vehicle, and noted that it was driving in an erratic fashion, at which time they initiated a traffic stop. Upon speaking with the driver, the officers confirmed that he was a prohibited driver and he was also exhibiting signs of impairment. A field sobriety test was administered by a qualified officer, and as a result, the accused was arrested. The 48-year-old male was transported to North Bay Police Service headquarters, where a Drug Recognition Expert performed an evaluation on him, and he was found to be impaired by drug.
As a result of this incident, the accused was charged with:
· one count of Impaired by Drug,
· one count of Operation While Prohibited,
· one count of Failure to Comply with Probation Order,
· one count of Driving While Under Suspension (Highway Traffic Act)
The accused’s vehicle was seized by police and impounded for 7 days, and his driver’s license was suspended for 90 days. He was released on an Undertaking with a future court date.
Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology is now installed in all North Bay Police Service patrol cruisers, as a way to alert officers to various offences, such as possession of stolen vehicles, suspended driver’s licenses and expired plates.
Police would like to remind the public, that being caught when impaired by any type of drug, carries the same consequences as being impaired by alcohol.
