Editorial: San Rafael has right idea with proven license-plate cams
The San Rafael Police Department is moving forward with plans to install 19 license plate-reading cameras aimed at reducing auto thefts, which have grown by 50% over the past five years.
The department already has eight cameras installed in patrol cars and one attached to a speed radar trailer. The new ones, installed as part of a contract with a private company, will be fixed and placed in areas selected by crime patterns, traffic volume and points in and out of the city.
The department points to Vacaville’s use of the same cameras and its reduction of auto thefts by a third.
The solar-powered cameras take still pictures of license plates and then store those images in a database for 30 days, after which they will be deleted. The system can flag the plates of stolen cars or vehicles suspected in other crimes. It will also be connected to the Amber Alert system.
The cameras will be focused on license plates and not take images of drivers, according to the police department.
While the system may help police track down stolen vehicles and their thieves, just having the cameras in place could serve as a deterrent and dampen criminals’ interest in San Rafael.
Still, even today with the seemingly widespread use of video cameras, there is an Orwellian “Big Brother” concern regarding their intrusion on law-abiding people.
License-plate reading cameras are already being used by several Marin police agencies.
The ACLU human-rights organization has raised concern about “mass-surveillance” systems. Councilwoman Maribeth Bushey joined other council members in backing the contract, but she pushed for the department to “negotiate the strongest possible data privacy provisions that we can obtain.”
She should maintain that focus to keep it as a top concern for department officials involved in the contract and access to the collected data.
The city will own the data and establish rules over sharing it with neighboring police agencies.
The public value of the contract will be proof that it has played a role in locating stolen vehicles and arresting suspect culprits. A downturn in the auto theft statistics will also prove their worth.
Canal residents turned out at a recent council meeting, backing the department’s use of the stationary cameras to help stem thefts in their neighborhood.
Any debate boils down to the use and effectiveness of the cameras.
By installing limits on access to the data they collect, the department can answer many of those concerns.
Their objective is to make the streets of San Rafael safer by stopping or dissuading criminals.
Councilwoman Bushey is right to raise legitimate concerns about privacy and control over the collected data.
Over the 24-month term of the contract for the camera system, the council, as the representative leaders of residents and businesses in the city, should ask for regular public reports detailing specifics regarding the collection and use of the data and the system’s effectiveness in fighting crime.