On Oct. 18, Chula Vista City Council unanimously voted to expand the Chula Vista Police Department’s Automated License Plate Recognition program resulting in 150 fixed ALPR cameras to be strategically installed in key intersections and thoroughfares likely to be traversed by criminal suspects during or immediately after a crime.
Also, five more vehicles equipped with ALPR mobile systems will be assigned to detectives in the crimes unit for physical surveillance in the field. Built by Flock Safety the ALPR cameras send real-time alerts to law enforcement when a stolen car or known wanted suspect from a state or national database is detected, and with a missing person in and AMBER or Silver Alert is detected.
Staff reported that the expanded use of ALPR cameras will have a significant positive impact on both vehicle theft and vehicle accessory theft by providing information to solve vehicle theft cases and having a positive impact on the investigation of many other crimes committed in the city. The police department currently deploys four mobile ALPR cameras affixed to patrol vehicles.
Funding for this is provided by a $3 million award to the police department from the California Board of State and Community Corrections Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program. The grant covers the 38-month project period from Oct. 1, 2023, to Dec. 1, 2026. When the project activity period ends on December 1, 2026, there will be a 6-month period from January 1, 2027, to June 1, 2027, for completion of the Final Local Evaluation Report, conducted by SANDAG.
Staff reported that vehicle thefts have increased by 28.5% in 2022 compared to the last three years. Between 2018-2022, there was an average increase of 8.5% in vehicle theft each year, and in the past five years, only 273 arrests have been made for the 4,244 vehicle thefts that have occurred.
Police Chief Roxana Kennedy said this was unexpected opportunity provided by the state, a grant to combat auto theft and catalytic converter theft that has “plagued the community.”
“Over the years, nearly every other neighboring jurisdiction has developed, or in the process of developing far more robust ALPR systems,” she said. “Including several expansions of fixed ALPR systems. Without action today, Chula Vista would not only give up on $3 million of grant funds to combat these crimes, but as your police chief, I am also concerned that our community could become the only jurisdiction in the region without a robust license plate reader program which could make us a unique target for theft rings in the county.”
Kennedy said she spoke with the El Cajon Police Department chief of police who told her in the past 10 weeks of its starting of the city’s ALPR program, they have made 50 arrests, 45 vehicles have been recovered and returned to victims in their community, and over $400,000 of property has been returned to the community.
Staff reported that the footage captured in this system is owned by the city and footage will never be sold or shared by Flock. After 30 days retention, data not associated with a crime is automatically deleted and unrecoverable. The system takes photos of license plates only. There is no facial recognition software, it is not used for predictive policing, traffic enforcement, and only gathers evidence and facts about vehicles, no people.
Many people spoke during public comment, both for and against the use of ALPR technology with the largest concern that the system may be used for immigrant status purposes, and with the problems the city has had in the past with license plate readers.
Former mayor Mary Salas said that she is pleased with this generation of license plate readers, the security around it, the sophistication, and lessons learned from the first generation of ALPRs.
“This information is not going to be shared with any outside agency,” she said. “It strictly belongs to the city of Chula Vista for the good of the citizens,” adding that the city needs to protect citizens and now, often, it is protecting criminals.
Missing since Jan. 7, 2021, Maya Mellete’s sister Maricris Drouaillet said multiple agencies have worked timelessly to locate her sister’s whereabouts, without any success, with her husband currently awaiting trial for her murder.
“It is my sincerest belief if Chula Vista and surrounding cities had the license plate readers at the time of her disappearance, the investigators would have had a greater chance in locating her,” she said.
Mayor John McCann said he wants to make sure that the police have the tools to do their jobs as well as they can.
“They are here to protect all of us, especially our most vulnerable,” he said. “When you look at our most vulnerable, they are the most likely to be a victim of a crime.”
Council member Jose Preciado said he was concerned about the sharing of information with other local law enforcement agencies.
“With our ALPR data, our agency allows us to share data with local and state law enforcement, and that is it,” said CVPD staff. “We do not share data outside of California, and we do not share data with federal agencies. These are fixed cameras focused on a lane of traffic intended to capture the rear of the vehicle. The system is not intended to capture people or images of people.”
Kennedy said the ALPR cameras must be in placement by April 2024.
