PENN TWP — When the new and improved traffic signal comes online at the Airport Road intersection, it may have one more feature than originally planned.

At their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 9, the township’s board of supervisors discussed the possibility of purchasing a license plate reader for the intersection of Airport Road and Route 8.

Cheryl Cranmer, the officer in charge of the Penn Township Police Department, spoke highly in favor of the plate reader, saying it would be an invaluable tool in certain investigations where there is limited information available.

“For instance, there's a hit-and-run and we don't have a license plate, but maybe we've got a description of the vehicle. Maybe it's a blue Ford pickup,” Cranmer said. “(The plate reader) will capture the back of that vehicle and will at least give us a plate to start the investigation.”

A license plate reader camera captures license plate information from passing cars. This information can alert law enforcement to traffic violations, as well as the presence of wanted criminals whose license information is on file.

Penn Township is not alone in this discussion. This February, Middlesex Township voted to purchase a license plate reader for use at the intersection of Route 8 and Route 228 East. It would be the second one they have installed, with their first one overlooking Route 228 West and Route 8.

While there are multiple vendors of license plate readers out there, Cranmer recommended a system sold by the security company PlateSmart, which is also the system that Middlesex chose.

“The Western PA Chiefs Association did a study on the best license plate readers,” Cranmer said. “The ones that are currently in use have the least amount of failures and the least amount of errors, so that's why we're going with them.”

According to supervisors chairman Samuel Ward, the township would not decide on the license plate reader until the later part of 2024, at the earliest. Part of the reason for is the township’s police department has made some major purchases recently.

“We just bought two police cars, so we’re a little budget conscious,” Ward said.

“Maybe we can afford (the plate reader) this year,” Ward said. “But what we would do is, we would make provisions to install the wiring when the wiring is installed for the new traffic light. It’s just a matter of pulling a few more wires.”

According to Cranmer, the license plate reader would cost roughly $16,000 to install. Cranmer also said the office of Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger has offered to cover half the cost for the township, as it also did for Middlesex Township.