 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Police are touting the early success rate of a pilot license plate reader program in locating stolen vehicles and jailing offenders.
The Azusa Police Department reports 16 stolen vehicles were recovered, as well as one vehicle tied to a reported murder. Three handguns were seized and multiple felons were arrested, according to the Azusa Police Department. In almost all cases, the suspects were involved in some form of crime, or wanted for another crime, the Azusa Police Department said. The city has partnered with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based tech company, to utilize license plate readers strategically placed citywide in an effort to reduce crime, the Azusa Police Department said. “The footage is securely stored in the cloud and automatically deletes every 30 days on a rolling basis. The cameras are not used for traffic enforcement, immigration enforcement, and contain no facial recognition technology,” according to the Azusa Police Department. In August of 2020, the Azusa City Council approved a two-year lease for 21 automated license plate readers at a cost not exceeding $110,250. The annual flat rate lease is $2,500 per camera, according to public documents from the City of Azusa. “Flock’s cameras capture date, time, location, license plate (state, partial, paper, and no plate), vehicle details (type and color), as well as objects (bicycle, animals, and people),” according to the City of Azusa. When a stolen, or wanted vehicle is identified, a notification is sent to dispatchers and officers. The cameras are wireless, free of infrastructure setup and can even use solar power. Local agencies reportedly already using Flock cameras include the San Marino Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Temple and Walnut/Diamond Bar Stations. City staff will assess the effectiveness of the program at the end of the two-year lease and either recommend to continue or discontinue it. |
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