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Council approves purchase and renewal of license-plate-reading cameras; Stonegarden funds to cover first-year costs
Summary
Council approved a contract to renew software support for 22 ALPR cameras and to purchase five additional cameras, funded initially by a Stonegarden grant; police said the system has helped investigations and is shared statewide with other agencies.
The City Council on March 4 approved an additional services agreement to renew software support for 22 existing automatic license-plate recognition (ALPR) cameras and to purchase five new FLOC ALPR cameras, with initial funding provided through an Operation Stonegarden grant.
Assistant Police Chief Jonathan Blackstone said the cameras have been instrumental in investigations, including a homicide solved with an ALPR hit linked to a stolen license plate and the recovery of stolen vehicles. He told the council the city shares ALPR data statewide with other California agencies and does not share outside the state.
Blackstone presented the contract costs: a multi-year renewal schedule for existing cameras (examples cited: $20,500 and $24,000 for two batches of renewals) and $16,850 for the five additional cameras (including 12 months of software support). He said Stonegarden funding covered the first year of support for the new cameras.
Council members asked about data sharing and privacy; Blackstone said license-plate information is a matter of public record and that the department limits sharing to in‑state partners. He also noted national debates about ALPR programs but said the department’s use aligns with accepted practices. The motion to approve the agreement passed on a voice vote.
