Tracking Plates

Following 9/11, New York venture capitalist John Chigos decided to take some time off. He wanted to figure out what he could do to make his career more meaningful.

During this break from work, Chigos was driving when a person cut him off and forced him into a ditch. Chigos tried to catch the license plate before the car sped away, but “it was impossible,” he says. So he called his patent attorney and told him they had to get to work to find a way to solve this problem.

He began to research how law enforcement identifies vehicles to track criminals and prevent terrorist attacks. In the first few minutes of a ride along with a police officer, Chigos watched as the officer approached a truck that was swerving down the highway. The officer radioed in the plate number and tried to contain the vehicle. More than 18 minutes later, they found out the driver was wanted for attempted homicide.