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License-plate reader credited with locating missing man; Long Beach chief defends cost
Summary
Long Beach police said a license-plate-reader system helped locate a 44-year-old person of concern and transport him to a hospital for evaluation; Chief Mark Swistek acknowledged public privacy concerns while noting the system’s $12,000 annual cost is justified in emergency cases.
A license-plate-reader system installed in January helped Long Beach officers find a 44-year-old man who had sent texts indicating suicidal intent, Chief Mark Swistek told the Police Commission on July 2.
Swistek said Corporal Matthew Farthing entered the subject’s vehicle plate into the town’s newly installed Flock license-plate-reader system, tracked the vehicle as it moved through the region and located it at a Franklin Street business in Michigan City. Officers then transported the person to Franciscan Hospital for a mental-health evaluation.
“The mother then joined her son at the hospital and was very grateful,” Swistek said. “Corporal Farthing did an excellent job on that day using the technology available to him.”
Swistek acknowledged public debate over LPR systems and noted the cost to the town: four cameras at $3,000 each, or about $12,000 annually. He said the department also used regional E-911 resources to attempt a phone ping but that the plate reader provided a critical lead when other methods were limited.
Supporters on the commission framed the episode as a clear public-safety benefit; Swistek emphasized the system’s operational value in time-sensitive cases. “The cost of this technology is nothing knowing when…time was of importance on that day, to find him sooner than later,” he said.
Meeting discussion also touched on how LPRs can provide movement history for vehicles in local investigations; Swistek said the tool has been in use nationwide and can be particularly helpful when a subject’s vehicle movements are a critical lead.
The commission did not take action to change policy at the meeting. Swistek and staff did not detail local retention, access or public-records policies for LPR data during the discussion; those policy specifics were not specified in the meeting record.
The commission adjourned at 3:27 p.m.; no additional LPR policy votes were scheduled at the meeting.
