To deter burglaries, La Cañada is considering cameras that can record car license plates, even at high speeds
Could the installation of cameras equipped with the technology to automatically record and store car license plate numbers, even at high rates of speed, be used to prevent burglaries in La Cañada ?
That will be up for discussion Monday, when the Public Safety Commission meets to decide whether to investigate installing automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, either at fixed locations or atop sheriff’s patrol cars.
“We’re just hoping to get some direction from the commission to see if this is something they want to pursue further or not,” said Peter Castro, the city’s public safety coordinator, who encourages the public to give feedback at Monday’s 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall.
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FOR THE RECORD
10/22, 12:34 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Public Safety Commission would be meeting Monday at 6 p.m. They will be meeting at 7 p.m.
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If commissioners decide in favor of pursuing the option, parameters such as kind, number, location and cost would have to be determined, Castro said.
With installation costs, cell service, data storage and warranty fees factored in, the devices can be pricey — the city of Rancho Palos Verdes partnered with neighboring cities to install cameras at 12 intersections at the cost of $650,000, according to city documents — but officials agree the cameras are effective in locating criminals and people with outstanding warrants.
Last year La Cañada Flintridge had 106 commercial and residential burglaries, down slightly from 121 in 2014, according to data from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The City Council has dedicated money in its annual budget for additional burglary suppression efforts. Adding cameras could be another tool at law enforcement’s disposal.
The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station currently operates two patrol cars outfitted with ALPR technology, according to community liaison Deputy Eric Matejka. One was provided by the county, while the $21,150 cost of the second unit was shared by the sheriff’s department and the city of La Cañada Flintridge, which paid $11,150.
Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 1 of this year, those two units scanned 185,376 license plates throughout the city. The recorded images were immediately sent to a cloud-based server that feeds a database that can be drawn upon when deputies are investigating incidents that may involve a vehicle plate or description.
Out of those scans, 37 returned hits for drivers with outstanding warrants while another 21 plates that had been lost or stolen were located, Matejka said, recalling a recent case of a deputy who was driving down Angeles Crest Highway when the camera indicated a stolen car had just passed him going the other direction.
“They could be going freeway speeds in the opposite direction, and it will still take the plate and read it,” Matejka said, assuring the information can only be accessed by deputies when a crime is involved.
Another case was solved when a plate number caught by a La Cañada High School surveillance camera was entered and returned a hit from a fixed pole camera installed outside the home of the suspect who’d stolen 16 computers from the campus.
“It will pick up warrants, and it will pick up lost or stolen plates or stolen vehicles,” said Deputy Cristina Cordoba, who’s used the technology at the Crescenta Valley Station and in a previous job. “It picks up (on) sex registrants, and it picks up any Amber Alerts.”
Cordoba pointed out the cameras on the station’s SUV — two mounted on the front scan plates in front of the vehicle, while two on the sides pick up the plates of cars parked in a lot formation. When a license plate matching one flagged in the database is found, an image and number shows up on a laptop screen inside the patrol car, along with the direction the vehicle is traveling.
“I can look at the picture and see, oh, that car just passed me, and I can go find that car,” the deputy explained.
Amanda Wahlquist, a crime analyst with the local station, says the technology helps narrow the scope of investigators’ focus to particular individuals or communities, while giving them broader access to data recorded in other cities or counties.
It also helps analysts connect incidents in different areas that may be related to one another.
“The more information we can get, the more we can narrow it down,” Wahlquist said. “And instead of closing just one case, you may be able to close multiple cases and bring a little bit of restitution to your victims.”
The La Cañada Flintridge Public Safety Commission meets Monday at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1327 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada. For more information, visit www.lcf.ca.gov/public-safety-commission.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
