Avondale Estates has spent $19,560 on an automatic license plate reader, a device that digitally reads and transcribes license plates for the city police department.

Police on patrol routinely check license plates to see if a vehicle is stolen or if authorities are lookng for the vehicle in connection with a crime.

The license plate reader will be mounted on a patrol car and will allow police to make that determination more quickly, City Manager Clai Brown said. Without it, officers have to type a tag number into the car computer or call the number into a dispatcher to look up.

The City Commission approved the purchase by a 5-0 vote at the Oct. 22 meeting. Brown said the city plans to train and assign an officer to work solely with the license plate reader.