San Jose expanded the number of automatic license plate readers on its streets this week with the installation of new devices that the city hopes will deter crime.
Mayor Matt Mahan, whose office posted footage to Facebook and TikTok on Monday evening of Mahan helping workers install the city’s 108th automatic license plate reader, said, “These cameras have already made our city safer.”
“San Jose Police Department has solved multiple crimes, including robberies, hit and runs, home invasions, stolen vehicles, and more using this technology,” Mahan said in a statement accompanying the videos.
As of 2022, the automated devices had been used to solve at least 31 “notable” criminal cases, according to a city report about their use.
The automated license plate readers use high-speed cameras to photograph the license plates of passing cars to identify those that are wanted in connection with a crime, according to the report. The cameras also flag cars that have been reported stolen. Mahan said the devices take photos of passing cars and do not use facial recognition technology.
“It is very limited, and the data is deleted on a regular basis,” the mayor said.
San Jose has had automated license plate readers since 2016, when former mayor Sam Liccardo first authorized the purchase of eight devices for $165,000 out of police funding.
Other Bay Area cities have since started their own pilot programs, with Oakland announcing earlier this month that it would install 300 new license plate readers throughout the city in an effort to battle rising crime. San Francisco announced plans for license plate readers and cameras to track vehicles when they enter and exit Twin Peaks in September following the shooting death of a teen there.
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