Several communities in Saratoga have started funding their own license plate readers to deter crime.
They’re found at every exit and entrance to the Saratoga Woods neighborhood.
“Late ‘18 early ‘19 we were noticing an increase in crime within the Saratoga Wood community,” said Larry Schwerin.
If it wasn’t burglaries, it was vehicle thefts.
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“Coming out of the technology sector like many of us do, we started to investigate what are now known as these LPR, license plate reader cameras,” said Schwerin.
He said dozens of his neighbors teamed up and paid several hundred dollars to install and manage some of the first flock cameras in the city of Saratoga in 2020.
They didn’t need city permission because they were installed on private property.
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Two years later, the city followed suit, installing seven license plate readers as part of a pilot program.
Now, neighborhoods all around the city are pitching in for their own flock cameras, with the help of the city.
The city of Saratoga says they just approved six districts or communities that want to pay for license plate reading cameras in their neighborhoods in nearly 26 proposed sites.
All of them would be funded by residents through their property taxes then managed by the city and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
“Since the beginning of 2023, we’ve had nine arrests from these flock cameras,” said Russell Davis.
The sheriff's office says the cameras solely focus on license plates and once the system detects a stolen car, the company notifies dispatch.
“It's just going to help with investigative leads, so far the success rate in how fast these deputies locate stolen vehicles is pretty impressive. They get them off the street and the biggest things they get these vehicles back to the rightful owner,” said Davis.
As for Schwerin, he said he’s seen a decrease in crime in his neighborhood. He says they went from 12 vehicle burglaries in 2019 to just two in 2022.
He added that even neighbors concerned with privacy issues are now looking at the benefits.
“There is a feature in the flock camera system that if people who live in the neighborhood don’t want their license plate tagged, you can actually opt out,” said Schwerin.
