MANTECA, CA – The Manteca Police Department’s #5143 police car is undergoing a high-tech transformation. “It will have three cameras,” said Captain John Orcutt of the Manteca Police Department, according to the Web site www.CBS13.com. With the help of cameras mounted on the front, the rear, and on the dash, Manteca Police becomes one of the first in the county to use infrared technology in scanning license plates instantly.

The camera captures color pictures of each vehicle while an infrared light scans each plate. Officers are immediately alerted when a match is made in one of four national databases.

The California Highway Patrol recently approved the technology for statewide use. The makers of this device — Pips Technology out of Tennessee — say its readers can scan in any weather, in the dark, and as many as 3,400 plates per shift. By setting various parameters, the system can serve a specific function for each agency, according to the Web site www.CBS13.com.

The installation and equipment cost about $25,000 each. Manteca hopes to have one on the road by December.