A trial period ended Thursday and Berkeley police are now officially using automated license plate readers, or ALPRs.
In July 2023, the Berkeley City Council approved placing ALPRs at 52 locations throughout the city.
Since then, the Police Department fulfilled all requirements under the city’s surveillance technology ordinance, including a detailed submission and thorough review process, police said last week.
Cameras now operate in 32 of those locations and the remaining sites will come online as soon as Caltrans finalizes the necessary permits.
The department began a trial period for the ALPRs on Oct. 1.
Police said during that period, the technology helped them identify suspects, recover stolen property, and resolve cases that might have stalled.
“For example, the system tracked a suspect’s vehicle linked to burglaries at multiple locations,” police wrote on social media. “When that vehicle returned to Berkeley weeks later, officers arrested the driver and recovered stolen items.”
Berkeley Police said the introductory period confirmed that ALPR technology can produce meaningful results, laying the groundwork for its full adoption.
Police said that success took place before the system reached full deployment and “clearly showed its potential to improve public safety. The introductory period confirmed that ALPR technology can produce meaningful results, laying the groundwork for its full adoption throughout the department.”
Police said the technology helped with a dozen arrests and the recovery of nine stolen vehicles during the trial period.
Critics of the plan have included the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, which has said the plan “leaves important questions unaddressed and raises a number of serious concerns about the proposed program’s impact on the rights and liberties of drivers, residents, and visitors in Berkeley.”
The entire department now has access to the technology.
“We remain aware that this valuable public safety tool must be utilized with careful and thoughtful deployment that honors both privacy and community standards,” police said on social media. “Our department appreciates everyone who contributed to this endeavor and will share more about its results and responsible use moving forward.”
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