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Sandy Springs police detail license-plate readers, dash-camera ALPRs and traffic-citation trends
Summary
Police Chief Desimone updated council on traffic-citation data, automatic license plate reader vendors and new Axon Fleet 3 dash cameras with built-in ALPR, and discussed school-zone camera denials and drone limits.
Sandy Springs Police Department Chief Desimone told the council the department’s top traffic citations remain speeding, following too closely and expired registration, the last of which has increased in part because of automatic license-plate-reader (ALPR) technology that flags expired tags.
Desimone said the department uses two major ALPR vendors for city operations (Flock and Genetec) and noted that the Axon Fleet 3 dash cameras now deployed in patrol cars include an integrated ALPR capability. That capability can identify plates that later match stolen-vehicle reports: "an officer may not necessarily know there's a stolen car, ... it captures it," he said.
On school-zone speed cameras, Desimone said the department reviews citations before issuing them and sometimes withholds issuance when equipment issues are found (for example, a fallen warning sign that invalidated the automated detection).
Drone use and cameras: council members asked about drone programs and the chief said the department is exploring drones but noted operational limits, including weather and the need for personnel to maintain visual contact while the drone is in use. Desimone also reported the city has about 35 traffic cameras and access to private camera networks and said using existing camera infrastructure is often faster than deploying a drone.
Why it matters: the presentation covered how technology affects enforcement and investigations, identified operational limits (drones, weather, staffing), and explained why not all automated citations become issued tickets.
At council’s request, staff said it can provide additional breakdowns of citation categories and follow-up materials describing deployment, vendor contracts and data-retention practices.
