{"id":108315,"date":"2026-08-31T13:43:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=108315"},"modified":"2026-08-31T13:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:43:51","slug":"wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\/","title":{"rendered":"Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor Gain automated licence plate readers WIIKWEMKOONG\u2014For some people, the words \u201cautomated licence plate reader\u201d might conjure an image of an increasingly watched world. Cameras quietly recording who comes and goes, storing information about ordinary people simply going about their day. For Sgt. Mike Force of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service (WTPS), the reality has a less ominous intent. The force\u2019s new automated licence plate reader (ALPR) is not designed to monitor the community indiscriminately, he explained. It is a public safety tool; one that allows officers to identify vehicles associated with specific police alerts while respecting the privacy of people who are simply driving through the community. \u201cWe are utilizing a technological advancement in ALPR that assists us in identifying&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription &#8211; Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F08%2F31%2Fwikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor Gain automated licence plate readers WIIKWEMKOONG\u2014For some people, the words \u201cautomated licence plate reader\u201d might conjure an image of an increasingly watched world. Cameras quietly recording who comes and goes, storing information about ordinary people simply going about their day. For Sgt. Mike Force of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service (WTPS), the reality has a less ominous intent. The force\u2019s new automated licence plate reader (ALPR) is not designed to monitor the community indiscriminately, he explained. It is a public safety tool; one that allows officers to identify vehicles associated with specific police alerts while respecting the privacy of people who are simply driving through the community. \u201cWe are utilizing a technological advancement in ALPR that assists us in identifying... <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\"><div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\"><div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription - Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div><div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F08%2F31%2Fwikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":101363,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news","category-ticker","pmpro-level-required","pmpro-level-3","pmpro-level-2","pmpro-level-5","pmpro-level-4","pmpro-level-6","pmpro-level-7","pmpro-level-8","pmpro-no-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer - The Turtle Island News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer - The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor Gain automated licence plate readers WIIKWEMKOONG\u2014For some people, the words \u201cautomated licence plate reader\u201d might conjure an image of an increasingly watched world. Cameras quietly recording who comes and goes, storing information about ordinary people simply going about their day. For Sgt. Mike Force of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service (WTPS), the reality has a less ominous intent. The force\u2019s new automated licence plate reader (ALPR) is not designed to monitor the community indiscriminately, he explained. It is a public safety tool; one that allows officers to identify vehicles associated with specific police alerts while respecting the privacy of people who are simply driving through the community. \u201cWe are utilizing a technological advancement in ALPR that assists us in identifying\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-31T17:43:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/facebooklogo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/31\\\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/31\\\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lynda Powless\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458\"},\"headline\":\"Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-31T17:43:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/31\\\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":874,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"National News\",\"ticker\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/31\\\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/31\\\/wikwemikong-tribal-police-service-turns-to-innovation-to-make-community-safer\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service turns to innovation to make community safer - 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