A roadside surveillance system deployed in Maryland can potentially associate the wireless signals coming from devices inside a vehicle with its license plate, adding another layer to what police can learn from automated plate-reader networks.
The technology, called SignalTrace, is made by Leonardo US Cyber and Security Solutions and has reportedly been installed in Oxon Hill by the Prince George’s County Police Department. Unlike a conventional automatic license plate reader, SignalTrace is designed to detect wireless transmissions and correlate them with other information collected at the same location.
That means signals associated with smartphones, headphones, smartwatches, dog collars, and other connected devices could potentially become part of an electronic signature linked to a particular vehicle. When paired with an ALPR camera, investigators could associate that signature with a license plate, location, and time…