Overview
- The Public Safety Committee voted 4-0 to advance reauthorization of 54 surveillance tools, including automated license plate readers and smart streetlight cameras.
- Police reported ALPRs aided 600 investigations since 2024, contributing to more than 420 arrests, recovery of 440 stolen vehicles and $5.8 million in property, and seizure of at least 20 firearms.
- SDPD also credited the system with a 20% drop in vehicle theft between 2023 and 2024, describing ALPRs as a force multiplier for investigations.
- Roughly 500 ALPR units have been installed since late 2023, capturing about 3 million plate images monthly, with smart streetlight installation and related costs totaling $3,519,300.
- Officials acknowledged an initial three-week vendor configuration lapse that exposed access to other California agencies, now fixed, as the department posts weekly public audits and privacy advocates question data-sharing and potential federal use.