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Police present quarterly ALPR update; department says cameras aided investigations
Summary
Police reported on a one-year ALPR camera trial, published monthly audits, and described cases where the system helped identify suspect vehicles; department says searches were carried out within policy and audit reports are publicly available.
The police department reported on its automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) pilot and monthly audits at the March 18 meeting, describing uses the department said produced investigative leads.
The department said the ALPR network went live Dec. 10, 2024, with 23 of 25 cameras operating and that all recorded searches were within departmental policy; monthly audit reports have been posted to a transparency portal. The chief highlighted cases investigators credited to ALPR leads, including a Dec. 27 shooting in which staff followed a suspect vehicle out of East Palo Alto to Modesto and a Jan. 21 hit-and-run traced to a Home Depot parking lot. “Through the use of the flock cameras, we were able to capture the suspect vehicle while it left East Palo Alto and record the license plate number, giving us a suspect vehicle,” the chief said.
Members of the public who have reviewed the transparency reports said they see value in the system — including recovered stolen vehicles — and urged expansion of camera coverage at private shopping-center entrances. Council accepted the informational report and asked for continued quarterly reporting and transparency materials.
