Davis commission backs application for grant to expand license-plate readers and fixed cameras, with privacy caveats

The Davis Police Accountability Commission on a January 2025 meeting voted to support a request from Chief Henry that the Police Department seek outside funding to expand the city’s automated license‑plate reader (LPR) and fixed public-safety camera system.

Chief Henry told the commission the department plans to ask the City Council for permission to apply for a Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to cover an estimated initial cost of about $350,000 and annual recurring storage and maintenance expenses the department estimates at roughly $17,800. The proposal would add a perimeter of cameras and LPRs at major ingress and egress points to capture vehicles entering and leaving the city, the chief said, rather than internal cameras focused on residential streets.

Why it matters: supporters say perimeter LPRs and fixed cameras give investigators timely leads in car‑theft and serious crime investigations where a suspect vehicle leaves Davis. Critics and several commissioners pressed the department for stronger guardrails on data retention, training, and requests from other jurisdictions, saying those elements affect civil‑liberties risks.

The proposal and the commission’s discussion Chief Henry said Davis already uses LPRs for parking enforcement on the city’s parking enforcement vehicles and operates two fixed cameras at existing locations. He told the commission that Motorola now offers a combined LPR/video camera system at lower hardware cost, and that the department’s primary ongoing…