Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Police topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police report shows uptick in Midtown violent crime; department highlights AI gun-detection pilot and community outreach
Summary
The Daytona Beach police captain reported higher violent-crime incidents in the Midtown corridor, including the first homicide of the year, and described an AI-based gun-detection program the department uses; the captain also noted ongoing extra patrols and joint clergy training.
Daytona Beach police presented crime and enforcement figures for the recent reporting period and described several operational actions, including an artificial intelligence gun-detection program that the department uses with its Genetec camera system.
The police captain (name not specified in the transcript) reported district 1 patrol handled 2,493 calls for service, completed 631 reports, made 76 felony arrests and 88 misdemeanor arrests, conducted 415 traffic stops and issued 515 citations for the reporting period cited in the presentation. The captain also said the department recorded the city’s first homicide of the year; that investigation remains ongoing.
The captain described a notable increase in violent incidents in Midtown and an intensive enforcement and patrol response: “We’ve conducted approximately 976 extra patrols. Of those 976, the vast majority of them are in the Midtown Corridor, unfortunately, because it's experienced the most significant increase in both violent crime and person’s crimes,” the captain said. The department also reported a spike in robberies (six reported during the period) and other ongoing investigations including car break-ins and burglaries; some of those cases were cleared by arrest, others remain under investigation.
The captain briefed the board on an AI-based program the department uses called “0 Eyes,” which integrates with the city’s Genetec camera system. The captain described the operational flow: the AI detects an overtly brandished firearm in camera footage, sends the alert to a manned 24/7 call center for human verification, and then the call center dispatches officers if the threat is confirmed. He said the department favors the program for public corridors where there is no expectation of privacy and argued the technology is not intended for concealed weapons or private residences.
The captain also said a Florida House bill under consideration would prohibit the use of AI for gun detection in public spaces; he said some supporters of the bill view the technology as an infringement on “both the Second and the Fourth Amendment.” The captain argued the tool is intended to detect overt brandishing in public spaces and is not a surveillance tool aimed at private spaces.
Other items in the presentation included coordination with federal partners on apprehensions, warrant operations that located felony subjects, continued 4 p.m. school-area briefings at Campbell Middle School, and preparations for major events (Rolex 24, half marathon, upcoming Speedweeks and Daytona 500). The captain also noted joint training and outreach with the Black Clergy Alliance and said the department had not received any local actionable tips regarding national threats referenced in a recent court case involving Proud Boys.
Ending: The captain encouraged continued community engagement and noted that operational changes (extra patrols, targeted enforcement, camera projects) and ongoing interagency training are part of the department’s response to Midtown’s recent crime patterns. No formal board action was recorded on the police report at the meeting.
