well, it is called intelligence fusion centers and license plates is just a minor piece. Pretty spotty. Face recognition info from surveilance cams pretty spotty as well. Credit card transactions - similar. Cell phone position is much better... Once taken together ("fused" dare i say :) - works like a charm i guess.

Guys from Palantir would know better i guess what Suspicious Activity Reports are cooked there:

http://www.palantir.com/_ptwp_live_ect0/wp-content/uploads/2...

"...many Fusion Centers have gradually shifted to a broader mission of providing general criminal intelligence and all-crimes, all-hazards analysis support for constituent agencies."