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Downey police report 18% drop in index crimes; council hears plan to replace aging license‑plate readers
Summary
Police Chief Lochner credited a nearly 18% decline in FBI‑index crimes and outlined recruitment efforts (down 18 sworn positions, multiple recruits in training) and plans to replace antiquated license‑plate‑reader systems with a vendor/lease model to spread costs over time.
Police Chief Lochner told the City Council that Downey recorded a substantial decrease in major crimes: an 18 percent drop in FBI index crimes compared with the prior year, with the department projecting continued declines so far in the current year.
Chief Lochner credited the achievement to department operations, targeted traffic enforcement and outreach programs — including regular homeless‑outreach efforts coordinated with code enforcement and other city teams. He also described active recruitment work: the department is down 18 sworn officers but has four officers in training and several in the academy, with one‑day recruitment events and updated hiring materials planned for the remainder of the year.
On technology, Lochner said much of the city’s fixed license‑plate‑reader (LPR) infrastructure is aged and out of warranty. He asked the council for direction on whether to pursue a lease‑style program (similar to what private vendors like Flock offer) or to buy a system outright; the price for a full purchase could approach about $1 million while a lease model would spread that cost over a decade. “We’re looking at different vendors where we can get additional cameras… it’s more of a lease program,” Lochner said, describing the tradeoffs in cost and deployment.
Councilmembers raised questions about how many patrol cars currently have mobile LPRs (three were reported) and whether fixed cameras around the city perimeter would better serve public safety goals. The council and staff also discussed coordination between police and parks staff on park camera deployments; parks staff said a phased rollout of park cameras would begin July 1 and aim to bring coverage to most parks over several years.
The council thanked the department for the crime‑rate improvements and asked staff to return with vendor and cost options for LPR replacement and an accelerated camera rollout if funding is available.
