Automated license plate readers, or ALPR cameras will soon become more widespread in Dayton.
That’s because city commissioners approved to expand the current program on Wednesday evening, by a vote of 3 to 2.
The updated $825,750 contract with the Flock company, who manufactures the automated cameras, will last through December 2028.
Currently, 37 cameras are in use in the Twin Towers, Old North Dayton, Downtown and Westwood neighborhoods. The police department plans to buy 35 more.
Deputy city manager Joe Parlette prepared a presentation on the ALPR technology on behalf of the police department.
The city’s cameras identified 350,000 license plates this November alone.
But Parlette said they are uncertain how many arrests were made because of the cameras.
“We're trying to nibble around the edges on something that's really difficult to capture,” he said.
Parlette said the cameras will be placed in the Belmont, Downtown and Historic Huffman neighborhoods. Their neighborhood associations specifically sought the technology, he said.
City commissioner Chris Shaw voted yes Wednesday.
He said this expansion will provide safety for neighborhoods that cannot afford this type of technology on their own.
“Ultimately, this is about the victims in our community, in many of the most oppressed parts of the community where folks have very limited resources,” said Shaw.
City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild was one of the dissenting votes.
He said he is also concerned about safety in the city. But he doesn’t believe this technology is the answer.
“I can tell you right now, these FLOCK readers aren't going to solve the issues that our neighborhood leaders are [trying] to address," he explained. “The flock readers are, by and large, reactive in trying to help solve crimes, they aren't put in place to prevent crime.”
The vote had been postponed at the city commissioners’ meeting on Nov. 29, after some residents claimed the contract wouldn’t comply with Dayton's law enforcement surveillance oversight ordinance.
This ordinance requires a public hearing and 30 days for public comment before implementing new technology.
