Permanent License Plate Readers: Alameda City Council To Vote

ALAMEDA, CA —The Alameda City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on a proposal by police Chief Paul Rolleri to install special cameras that read license plates in an effort to reduce crime in the city.

The chief's proposal calls for the city to spend $500,000 to install 13 cameras at entry and exit spots around Alameda, including the Webster and Posey Tubes, the bridges that link Alameda with Oakland, and at the Harbor Bay and Ron Cowan parkways.

In a report to the City Council, Rolleri said, "It is believed that such a system will bring about reduced crime, increase the number of crimes solved, and provide side benefits in being able to locate missing or wanted vehicles or persons."

The Police Department has been using a mobile "Automated License Plate Recognition" system using four marked patrol vehicles with cameras since 2014, Rolleri said.

He said the system records data to include the license plate number, date, time, and location for each license plate scanned.

But he said the cameras are not designed to photograph the occupants of the vehicles and they do not include any personal identifying information of the occupants or registered owner of the vehicle.

The chief said the data is stored in a database that's only accessible to law enforcement by a private vendor for a period of six months.

Rolleri said the Police Department uses it for crime prevention as an investigative tool for solving crimes and locating missing and wanted individuals.

"These patrol vehicles are still in operation and have been instrumental in identifying stolen vehicles, wanted subjects, missing/suicidal persons, and invaluable leads in solving violent and felonious crimes," he said.

Rolleri said the department also conducts semi-annual audits to ensure the system is being used correctly, within legal standards, and within department policy.

But the chief said the current system "is limited in its ability to provide complete coverage of the city, as scans can only be accomplished by the four equipped patrol cars while they are in service."

Rolleri said installing the 13 cameras at the city's entry and exit points would "dramatically improve the system's coverage."

He said the proposed new technology would be "a helpful and effective tool" because "it automates a tedious, time consuming, manual process that officers routinely complete in their daily operations."

In October, Alameda residents told the Police Department and the City Council that they "were concerned about the appearance of a dramatic increase in crime in the city," Rolleri said.

The chief said a report shows that "Alameda is in the midst of an overall 30-year decline in overall crimes."

But he said over the past few years, "There has been a spike in property crimes" and that trend is a regional problem with multiple causes.

"Stolen vehicles and crimes committed by people in stolen vehicles are the most significant crime problem we currently face in Alameda," Rolleri said.

In a letter to the City Council, a group called The Alameda Progressives said Rolleri's proposal "vastly increases the loss of personal privacy and may jeopardize the safety of certain segments of our citizenry."

The group said, "In this uncertain time, it is not prudent to increase the surveillance capabilities -- spying and keeping databases -- on the citizens of Alameda."

The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall at 2263 Santa Clara Ave. in Alameda.

— Bay City News; Image of license plate scanner: (AP Photo/Dave Collins)