Orange, a Southern California municipality, has announced plans to bolster its crime-fighting capabilities by installing license plate readers and video cameras throughout the city. Police Chief Dan Adams informed the City Council that Orange is lagging behind in terms of crime-fighting technology, making this move a significant step forward.
The addition of license plate readers and video cameras will provide law enforcement with valuable information on vehicles entering and exiting Orange. This data can be shared with neighboring cities’ law enforcement agencies to apprehend suspects on the move. The City Council staff report highlighted that Orange is home to numerous retail establishments targeted by organized retail theft and other crimes, as criminals can easily access freeways in any direction to evade capture.
The implementation of these crime-fighting devices follows the footsteps of other Southern California cities. Earlier this year, Costa Mesa added 15 more license plate readers to its existing arsenal, while the La Cañada Flintridge City Council approved the installation of 37 license plate readers in 2020. In response to a series of robberies and shootings, a Melrose Avenue neighborhood group raised funds to install plate readers in 2021.
However, the use of license plate readers and video cameras has not been without criticism. A state audit in 2020 highlighted significant privacy risks associated with license plate readers and raised concerns about inadequate privacy protections for the captured images.
Orange City Council recently approved an agreement with Insight Public Sector Inc., a Virginia-based consulting firm, to lease 43 license plate readers and 13 video cameras for a two-year period. The cost of this program amounts to just over $410,000. After a year-long search for funding, capital bond funds became available to support the initiative. The license plate readers are manufactured by Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based license plate recognition company.
The license plate readers will record vehicle make, color, and the number of times a vehicle passes by. This information will be stored for 30 days. While police can set up alerts for specific vehicles, the cameras will not be used for traffic enforcement purposes such as speeding or red light violations. Additionally, the cameras do not possess facial recognition capabilities.
City Councilmember Jon Dumitru, in an interview, acknowledged the cost of implementing such technology but emphasized the importance of investing in various crime-fighting methods to maintain a low crime rate. Dumitru shared a personal experience where a camera captured the license plate of a suspect vehicle involved in a theft from his truck. The information was shared with other cities in the county, leading to an arrest in Costa Mesa. Dumitru expressed his support for the regional effort facilitated by license plate readers.