diff --git a/src/openalpr/alpr.cpp b/src/openalpr/alpr.cpp
index a89ce21..5ad39db 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/alpr.cpp
+++ b/src/openalpr/alpr.cpp
@@ -87,6 +87,10 @@ namespace alpr
     return AlprImpl::fromJson(json);
   }
 
+  void Alpr::setCountry(std::string country) {
+    impl->setCountry(country);
+  }
+
 
   void Alpr::setDetectRegion(bool detectRegion)
   {
diff --git a/src/openalpr/alpr.h b/src/openalpr/alpr.h
index 974999f..43a1725 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/alpr.h
+++ b/src/openalpr/alpr.h
@@ -137,6 +137,9 @@ namespace alpr
       Alpr(const std::string country, const std::string configFile = "", const std::string runtimeDir = "");
       virtual ~Alpr();
 
+      // Set the country used for plate recognition
+      void setCountry(std::string country);
+      
       void setDetectRegion(bool detectRegion);
       void setTopN(int topN);
       void setDefaultRegion(std::string region);
diff --git a/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.cpp b/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.cpp
index 8751498..d2ec057 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.cpp
+++ b/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.cpp
@@ -45,19 +45,7 @@ namespace alpr
       return;
     }
 
-    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < config->loaded_countries.size(); i++)
-    {
-      config->setCountry(config->loaded_countries[i]);
-
-      AlprRecognizers recognizer;
-      recognizer.plateDetector = createDetector(config);
-      recognizer.ocr = new OCR(config);
-
-      recognizer.stateDetector = new StateDetector(this->config->country, this->config->config_file_path, this->config->runtimeBaseDir);
-
-      recognizers[config->country] = recognizer;
-
-    }
+    loadRecognizers();
 
     setNumThreads(0);
 
@@ -666,6 +654,11 @@ namespace alpr
     return allResults;
   }
 
+  void AlprImpl::setCountry(std::string country) {
+    config->load_countries(country);
+    loadRecognizers();
+  }
+
 
   void AlprImpl::setDetectRegion(bool detectRegion)
   {
@@ -691,6 +684,28 @@ namespace alpr
     return ss.str();
   }
   
+  
+  void AlprImpl::loadRecognizers() {
+    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < config->loaded_countries.size(); i++)
+    {
+      config->setCountry(config->loaded_countries[i]);
+
+      if (recognizers.find(config->country) == recognizers.end())
+      {
+        // Country training data has not already been loaded.  Load it.
+        AlprRecognizers recognizer;
+        recognizer.plateDetector = createDetector(config);
+        recognizer.ocr = new OCR(config);
+
+        recognizer.stateDetector = new StateDetector(this->config->country, this->config->config_file_path, this->config->runtimeBaseDir);
+
+        recognizers[config->country] = recognizer;
+      }
+
+    }
+  }
+
+  
   cv::Mat AlprImpl::getCharacterTransformMatrix(PipelineData* pipeline_data ) {
     std::vector<Point2f> crop_corners;
     crop_corners.push_back(Point2f(0,0));
diff --git a/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.h b/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.h
index cc22fd4..067598c 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.h
+++ b/src/openalpr/alpr_impl.h
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ namespace alpr
 
       AlprFullDetails analyzeSingleCountry(cv::Mat colorImg, cv::Mat grayImg, std::vector<cv::Rect> regionsOfInterest);
 
+      void setCountry(std::string country);
       void setDetectRegion(bool detectRegion);
       void setTopN(int topn);
       void setDefaultRegion(std::string region);
@@ -116,6 +117,8 @@ namespace alpr
       bool detectRegion;
       std::string defaultRegion;
 
+      void loadRecognizers();
+      
       cv::Mat getCharacterTransformMatrix(PipelineData* pipeline_data );
       std::vector<AlprCoordinate> getCharacterPoints(cv::Rect char_rect, cv::Mat transmtx);
       std::vector<cv::Rect> convertRects(std::vector<AlprRegionOfInterest> regionsOfInterest);
diff --git a/src/openalpr/config.cpp b/src/openalpr/config.cpp
index ff4a503..876dd5e 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/config.cpp
+++ b/src/openalpr/config.cpp
@@ -111,36 +111,45 @@ namespace alpr
       return;
     }
 
-    this->loaded_countries = this->parse_country_string(country);
-
-    if (this->loaded_countries.size() == 0)
-    {
-      std::cerr << "--(!) Country not specified." << endl;
-      return;
-    }
-    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < loaded_countries.size(); i++)
-    {
-      bool country_loaded = setCountry(this->loaded_countries[i]);
-      if (!country_loaded)
-      {
-        return;
-      }
-    }
-    setCountry(this->loaded_countries[0]);
-
+    bool countries_loaded = load_countries(country);
 
     if (this->debugGeneral)
     {
       std::cout << debug_message << endl;
     }
 
-    this->loaded = true;
+    this->loaded = countries_loaded;
   }
+  
   Config::~Config()
   {
     
   }
+  
+  bool Config::load_countries(const std::string countries) {
 
+    this->loaded_countries = this->parse_country_string(countries);
+
+    if (this->loaded_countries.size() == 0)
+    {
+      std::cerr << "--(!) Country not specified." << endl;
+      return false;
+    }
+    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < loaded_countries.size(); i++)
+    {
+      bool country_loaded = setCountry(this->loaded_countries[i]);
+      if (!country_loaded)
+      {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+    
+    setCountry(this->loaded_countries[0]);
+    
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  
   void Config::loadCommonValues(string configFile)
   {
 
@@ -344,9 +353,21 @@ namespace alpr
     return parsed_countries;
   }
 
+  bool Config::country_is_loaded(std::string country) {
+    for (uint32_t i = 0; i < loaded_countries.size(); i++)
+    {
+      if (loaded_countries[i] == country)
+        return true;
+    }
+    
+    return false;
+  }
+
   bool Config::setCountry(std::string country)
   {
     this->country = country;
+    
+    
 
     std::string country_config_file = this->runtimeBaseDir + "/config/" + country + ".conf";
     if (fileExists(country_config_file.c_str()) == false)
@@ -363,6 +384,9 @@ namespace alpr
       return false;
     }
 
+    if (!country_is_loaded(country))
+      this->loaded_countries.push_back(country);
+    
     return true;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/openalpr/config.h b/src/openalpr/config.h
index 9fcf920..bcb3976 100644
--- a/src/openalpr/config.h
+++ b/src/openalpr/config.h
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ namespace alpr
       Config(const std::string country, const std::string config_file = "", const std::string runtime_dir = "");
       virtual ~Config();
 
+      bool load_countries(const std::string countries);
+      
       bool loaded;
       
       std::string config_file_path;
@@ -153,6 +155,7 @@ namespace alpr
       float stateIdImagePercent;
 
       std::vector<std::string> parse_country_string(std::string countries);
+      bool country_is_loaded(std::string country);
 
       void loadCommonValues(std::string configFile);
       void loadCountryValues(std::string configFile, std::string country);