LOS ALAMITOS, CALIF. – The Los Alamitos Police Department and City Council are always looking for ways to increase public safety and ensure a continued quality of life for our residents. To that end, the Los Alamitos City Council approved a one-year pilot program to lease 12 Automated License Plate Readers from Flock Safety in June 2021. The city has since been working with Flock Safety to identify locations throughout Los Alamitos where the license plate readers will be installed. Installation is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at various intersections in the city.
Automated License Plate Readers work by capturing vehicle license plate information and filtering it through law enforcement data sources to see if it is a stolen or wanted vehicle. In addition to identifying vehicles associated with criminal activity, vehicles associated with missing or at-risk persons are also identified. Once a wanted vehicle is identified, Los Alamitos Police Officer’s will receive immediate notification from dispatch about the vehicle location, direction of travel, and reason for the alert.
Automated License Plate Readers have long helped law enforcement in solving crimes, recovering stolen vehicles, and locating missing persons. Law enforcement agencies utilizing Automated License Plate Readers have reported reductions in both property and violent crimes.
Automated License Plate Reader technology is limited to collecting vehicle specific information and does not capture images of the driver or interior of the vehicle. All vehicle information not utilized by law enforcement is automatically deleted after 30-days.
During this pilot program, arrests and investigations involving the use of Automated License Plate Readers will be tracked so that the Police Department can report back to City Council on the efficiency of the program and make recommendations to continue or discontinue the program.
A picture of an Automated License Plate Reader is featured below. For additional information on the City of Los Alamitos, visit www.cityoflosalamitos.org or call (562) 431-3538.