A digital image capturing and processing system comprising a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem for producing a plurality of coplanar linear illumination and imaging planes which intersect within a 3D imaging volume defined relative to an imaging window. Each coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes a local object motion detection subsystem for detecting the motion of objects moving through the 3D imaging volume, and a local control subsystem for controlling the state of operations within each coplanar illumination and imaging station during system operation. Each coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem has an object detection state and a code symbol reading state of operation, and includes one or more planar illumination modules (PLIMs) for producing at least one substantially planar illumination beam (PLIB), and a linear image detection array having a field of view (FOV) on the linear image detection array and extending in substantially the same plane as the PLIB, to provide a coplanar illumination and imaging plane (PLIB/FOV) that is projected through the 3D imaging volume, for capturing linear (1D) digital images of an object passing therethrough, for subsequent processing and recognition of information graphically represented in the linear digital images. When a local object motion detection subsystem automatically detects the motion of an object passing through at least a portion of the 3D imaging volume, a global control subsystem cooperates with the local control subsystems to manage the state of operation of each coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem, e.g. by driving one or more of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems into the code symbol reading state of operation.