New UCF Parking Policy to Take Effect July 1

Beginning July 1, a new policy for parking on UCF campuses will go into effect to promote campus safety and parking technology. This new technology requires all vehicles to park nose-in and plate-out. No back-in or pull-through parking is permitted in any parking garages and surface lots within UCF’s main, downtown, health sciences, and Rosen School of Hospitality Management campuses.

In the near future, UCF will eliminate the need to issue physical parking decals, hangtags or any tangible permit. Instead, license plates will act as parking permits for all parking pass options — annual, semester or daily.

All students, faculty, staff, visitors and vendors are required to adhere to the new nose-in policy, which applies to all licensed vehicles. Failure to adhere to the policy may result in a warning or parking citation.

Andy Rampersad, assistant director of UCF Parking and Transportation Services, says implementation of the cameras and nose-in parking policy will efficiently identify vehicles without parking credentials and accurately scan license plates during the citation issuance process. He says it also helps to support law enforcement operations by receiving notifications of vehicles associated with a crime.

“Like many other universities and municipalities embracing this technology around the country, UCF is joining the trend of transitioning to virtual permits for the sake of costs, sustainability, efficiency and safety. Implementing the nose-in parking policy now will create a smoother transition for virtual permits, which is the longer term solution,” Rampersad says. “We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as we continue to strengthen campus safety and promote a parking-friendly campus.”

Physical parking decals are still required for the 2019-20 school year, and prices will remain the same as last year. There are no current plans for any future increases due to the license plate recognition technology initiative.

More information about the switch to virtual permits will be provided at a later date.

Frequently Asked Questions About License Plate Readers

What are license plate readers?

License plate readers, known as LPRs, are cameras that quickly and efficiently capture vehicle tag numbers. Those numbers can assist law enforcement with detecting vehicles associated with crime and analyzing vehicle activity in relation to a crime.

UCF’s LPRs are stationary at campus entry and exit points and mobile as mounted on vehicles used for parking enforcement.

How will this technology enhance campus security?

UCFPD is running collected license plates against national and state systems that flag stolen or wanted vehicles; search for license or tag expirations or suspensions; or alert for individuals with criminal investigative interest.

LPRs serve as a force multiplier for police, serving as extra sets of eyes patrolling for suspicious activity. UCFPD’s goal is to prevent crime from occurring and also be able to more effectively follow up on any crimes thanks to potential investigative leads captured by the LPRs.

UCFPD’s use of LPRs is in accordance with guidelines from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Where are the LPRs located?

LPRs are located at all campus entry and exit points to capture the license plates of vehicles coming to and leaving from campus. One on-campus garage also has the technology at entrance and exit points as part of a pilot study. Additionally, some UCF Parking and Transportation vehicles will have mounted LPRs to scan in parking facilities.

What type of data is collected?

The readers collect license plate information that is then checked against a law enforcement “hot list” of license plate numbers flagged for their association with criminal activity. If a match is found, the system sends a notification to UCFPD’s dispatch center.

How is that data stored?

Data is stored in a secured cloud accessible only to UCFPD for a limited period of time. Collected data is owned by UCF and will never be shared or sold.

Who has access to the data?

UCFPD’s dispatch center will be alerted to license plates flagged by the system, and that information will be shared with officers so that they can make contact with the driver.

UCFPD will exercise discretion when sharing information with other law enforcement agencies to solve crimes, locate missing persons, and for other law enforcement purposes.

How do LPRs affect parking at UCF?

UCF Parking and Transportation Services utilizes LPRs for parking management and enforcement. Parking does not have access to law enforcement databases but rather compares license plates to tag data collected when purchasing a UCF parking permit. Parking will utilize the LPRs to determine whether vehicles have a valid permit and are parked in an appropriate location as designated by their permit.