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Murrieta staff link rising graffiti, park vandalism to proposed Flock surveillance cameras
Summary
Staff reported more than 100 incidents of graffiti and over $20,000 in repair costs at Cal Oaks and Torrey Pines parks and proposed installing Flock PTZ and LPR cameras (two-year cost $183,350) funded from Landscape Lighting District 12 and Measure T; commissioners asked about timing, monitoring access and civil-liberties limits.
Leah Kolick, the city’s Parks and Community Services manager, told the commission staff proposed installing Flock surveillance cameras at California Oaks Sports Park and Torrey Pines Park to deter persistent vandalism and support law enforcement. Kolick said staff documented “over 100 plus incidents of graffiti and vandalism” targeting amenities and reported more than $20,000 in repair costs so far.
"Over $20,000 in repair costs so far," Kolick said, and described a pattern of vandalism that has included damage to restroom stalls and other facilities. Kolick also said officers encountered 13 unhoused individuals across the two parks and that Murrieta Police Department had responded to roughly 200 calls to the parks over the time frame presented.
Nolan Barrientes, code enforcement manager, explained that city staff track complaints through an online form, phone calls and the Myriad Fix It app and that response varies by ownership: city-owned infrastructure is passed to park maintenance, while private-property graffiti is handled by code enforcement and property owners receive an initial courtesy notice before escalation. Barrientes said penalties for municipal code violations start at $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent citation.
Staff described the Flock system as including pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras for real-time monitoring, license-plate-reader-ready cameras with AI alerts, and static cameras in high-traffic areas; most cameras would be solar powered and pole-mounted. Kolick said the city council previously approved installation and that the two-year total cost is $183,350, to be paid from Landscape Lighting District 12 (Warm Springs) and the Measure T unassigned fund balance.
Commissioners asked about plan-check timing and monitoring access: staff said the deployment plan was under plan review and that some PTZ cameras are back-ordered with installations likely in January; police, park rangers and community services staff will have access for monitoring and PD will use the system for response and investigations. Staff emphasized surveillance would be limited to park boundaries.
Commissioners pressed staff about private-property vs. city ownership of graffiti, the utility of photographs for enforcement and coordination with school resource officers when students are suspected. Staff said photographs materially help routing and response and that PD had already engaged with students at nearby schools but could not confirm specific perpetrators.
