Police chief defends camera program, cites crime-solve data and state guardrails

Milford Police Chief Keith Mello told the Board of Aldermen that the department incorporated ALPRs and speed cameras as part of a multi-year public-safety plan and that both statutory guardrails and department policies limit how data are used.

"We put together the strictest policy in Connecticut," Chief Mello said, describing a real-time information center with restricted access and daily and annual calibration audits. He added that the city uses CJIS standards, SOC2 audit reports, and Amazon—AWS government cloud infrastructure to store and encrypt criminal-justice data.

Mello framed the tools as a response to public complaints about speeding and vehicle-related crime and said early data show behavioral change. "On Gulf Street northbound, compliance rose to about 95% in six weeks," he said, adding that solve rates for robberies and larcenies improved in his department's internal comparison since LPR deployment.

The chief also noted state law changes: testimony at the legislature led to a 21-day retention limit for most LPR data (House Bill 5449 referenced in his remarks), restrictions on searches for immigration and reproductive-health related queries, and civil penalties for misuse.

Mello acknowledged mistakes in other jurisdictions and said Milford instituted audit logs and two-factor authentication for the limited set of officers authorized to query the system; he invited elected officials and staff to review the transparency portal and vendor audit materials.

Why it matters: the chief's presentation provided the administration—side of the debate and specific operational claims that aldermen asked staff to verify as the board considers the public's request for a pause and review of the camera program.