Police in eastern Suffolk are adding extra sets of electronic eyes to their arsenal of law enforcement tools.

Nearly a dozen town and village police departments in Suffolk will be using new license plate scanners. The units read license plate numbers and send the signal to a database, which lets police know if the driver of the car is wanted for any sort of crime. East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris says the plate readers will be used in speed zones and areas prone to accidents.

Southold Town Police Chief Carlisle Cochrane says the license plate readers will have a preventive effect as well. ?Now we'll be able to find them before they have that accident or violate the speeding laws or something like that,? he says.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota paid for the $23,000-a-piece units with money from criminal forfeitures. The units can detect license plates on cars driving well over a 100 mph.