Auburn adds to its license plate reader program; police to purchase 6 new cameras

The Auburn City Council approved the purchase of six additional automated license plate reader cameras this month, strengthening the city's geofence of protection. The Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) runs through software which searches for a match between what it sees and an uploaded list. Auburn Police Department Lt. Tucker Huey, when presenting to city council June 13, said the cameras gather objective and unbiased facts about vehicles. "It is not facial recognition, it's secure," Huey said. "There is no person identifying information. It is not connected to registration data or third-party websites." Huey said seven of 10 crimes are committed with a vehicle either as transportation or in commission of the crime. "Anecdotally for our rural community, it's actually a little higher than that," he said. "Most of our crimes are going to involve a vehicle simply because of where we are geographically." Huey said 87 percent of non-violent crime goes unsolved in the United States because they lack "actionable evidence." Year to date, he said 73 percent of non-violent crimes are unsolved in Auburn and 62 percent of all crime is unsolved in Auburn. He said the additional cameras would allow the police department to be more effective. "For every arrest we make, we are solving one crime but we are also preventing other crimes from occurring," Huey said. "Typically, that one crime will help us solve another crime. It's a widespread tool; it's not a one for one." This is not the department's first experience with this type of technology. In 2018, Auburn PD implemented an ALPR program which consisted of five fixed-position cameras, a vehicle-mounted camera and a trailer-mounted camera. Huey spoke to the success of the current program, sharing the ALPRs contributed to solving the mass stabbing incident at the Auburn Library, the murder that occurred outside of the 160 Club, several of a series of catalytic converter thefts and multiple stolen vehicle recoveries. Huey said the six new cameras have improved technology which utilizes solar power and cellular connection, which eliminates infrastructure requirements, allowing better placement. In addition to improved view/detection, the new system has 30-percent increase in the accuracy of plate reads. Another attractive trait of moving ahead with the Flock Safety cameras is the company sells its systems to private consumers. "The civilian offering is unique to Flock Safety and helps businesses, HOAs, Neighborhood Associations and law enforcement work together to capture the objective evidence needed to reduce crime rates and improve neighborhood security," Huey's staff report stated. "This unique opportunity provides the ability for the police department to leverage private cameras to grow the geographical coverage of our system as well as offer additional security features to our community." In Huey's report, the cameras' proposed placement included Auburn Folsom Road north of Lantern View Drive, Highway 49 south of Marguerite Mine Road, Highway 49 north of Lincoln Way, El Dorado Street west of Lincoln Way, Lincoln Way south of Russell Road and Auburn Ravine Road west of Nation Drive. The department's current program utilizes license plate readers at Auburn Folsom Road at Indian Hill Road, Nevada Street at Fulweiler Avenue, Old Town Auburn, Downtown Auburn and the Auburn Airport. The additional cameras cost $2,500 per camera annually ($15,000 annually) with an additional $2,900 in installation costs. Huey said the program cost is a part of the police department's base budget. The city council unanimously approved the new cameras, barring a review from the city attorney.