San Jose says more than 150 automatic license plate readers are coming to communities severely impacted by gun violence.
This after what they call several success stories with the two cameras already installed in one of the city’s most dangerous intersections.
They’re about the size of a cell phone, but the memory they’re storing is supposed to help police catch criminals and deter a variety of crimes like hit and runs, vehicle thefts and even sideshows.
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But, one local business owner doesn’t think they’re working.
“They put a fence for pedestrians. So, they wouldn't cross and they wouldn't get run over and I've seen that fence replaced a couple of times already. So, that means that cars are still going over the lane and so forth,” said Mike Miranda, owner of Mimosas Restaurant.
Miranda's business is right on Monterey and Curtner, one of the most dangerous intersections in the city and the first to get this technology.
The cameras were installed in April as part of a pilot program police said is working. In fact, just this week, police said they solved an armed robbery and arrested a suspected shooter thanks to the cameras.
During a forum to update the community, San Jose police also mentioned success stories in other cities like Vallejo where they’ve reported a 100% increase in identifying stolen vehicles.
San Jose is now installing hundreds around the city and the first batch is coming in the next two to three months.
“Those particular cameras will be placed in neighborhoods where we have incidents, high incidents of gun related crimes,” said the San Jose Police Department Deputy Chief Ed Schroder.
The biggest concern among those attending Wednesday's virtual forum was privacy. But the city made it clear the data is only shared with trained police officers and certain city staff, no out-of-state or federal agencies.
“Anytime that someone from the San Jose Police Department accesses the ALPR system, they have to input a reason, the specific plates they are looking for and all of that information is logged so that we can keep track of how many times its being used and what its being used for,” said Albert Gehami, Digital Privacy Officer for San Jose.
