Ontario Provincial Police cruisers across the West Region are all equipped now with automated license plate recognition and in-car camera systems, and it's already helped officers in Leamington.
An officer on patrol used the technology to spot a nearby vehicle driven by a driver who didn't have a license.
The officer pulled over the suspect on Hwy. 77, on Sunday morning.
The driver said he was the vehicle's registered owner but admitted he didn't have a valid driver's license.
A 47-year-old Leamington man will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice next month on a charge of operation while prohibited under the criminal code.
The OPP finished installing the technology in all of its patrol vehicles by last Friday, and by the time the rollout is complete, more than 300 cruisers will have it.
The installation started in February.
Officers in all 13 detachments admit their surprise by how well it works and how many drivers it has flagged who don't have valid, registered plates.
Police remind drivers that even though they don't need a validation sticker, they do need to renew their plates annually or bi-annually.
A bonus of the technology is it records video of interactions between police and the public. Not only will those recordings improve transparency and safety, but they could also be used as evidence during prosecution.
