Akron City Council has approved the installation of 145 license plate-reading cameras that use artificial intelligence to capture identifying features of cars for police investigations. The cameras can help locate crime suspects and stolen vehicles quicker,according to police.
The city has budgeted $406,250 for the cameras, AI software, cloud storage and other equipment, according to the resolution.
The cameras will be installed throughout the city, particularly in high-crime areas, according to the resolution offered by Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer. That includes the area south of the University of Akron where two people were killed last year, according to Akron Police.
“This is basically a city-wide public safety project… to install these necessary cameras on poles throughout the city,” Councilman Kammer said at the council meeting Monday night. “I think it will help us catch and go after any suspects that make criminal activity.”
The cameras store license plates and other identifying information, such as the make and model, of cars that drive past them. Police can input what they know about a suspect’s car into the system, and the cloud-based software shows cars that match the description and where they were most recently located.
The cameras would be especially helpful in cases where someone reports a crime but did not take down the license plate number according to Deputy Police Chief Michael
Caprez. If police know the color or type of car involved, the technology can locate possible cars quickly, he said.
“So we can put that information into our system and within moments, it would be able to tell us - these cars matching the description that you’ve put in passed this camera at this time going in this direction,” Caprez said.
12 council members voted in favor of purchasing the cameras, while Ward 4 Councilman Russ Neal abstained. Neal asked for more public input, as some constituents expressed concerns that the cameras are an invasion of privacy.
“Personally, I’m willing to put aside my ‘Big Brother’ fears because of all that’s going on, but out of respect for my constituents that called me with a lot of concern, I would like for them to have some input,” Neal said.
Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley-Samples said she has also heard privacy concerns, but felt the cameras were a necessary step forward to combatting crime in Akron.
“I am watching the young people in the ward I represent die. I’m watching elderly people lay on the floor because of gunfire. I’ve watched my own house be shot up not once, but twice, from gunfire. So I make no apologies for my vote,” Mosley-Samples said.
The information is only made accessible to police and is deleted from the database every 30 days, Deputy Chief Caprez said. The cameras do not have facial recognition capabilities and would not be used for speed enforcement, he added.
The cameras are developed by Atlanta-based Flock Safety and are already being used by dozens of cities in Northeast Ohio, including 34 cities in Cuyahoga County and three in Summit, according to a Flock spokesperson. Macedonia Police recently used their cameras to quickly find a stolen car.
Additionally, thousands of cities and police departments across the country use Flock’s database, meaning it could help them locate suspects who have driven across state lines, Caprez said.
Other business
Council also passed a resolution at Monday's meeting expressing opposition to Ohio House Bill 99, which would reduce the training needed for school staff to carry firearms from 700 hours to just 24.
Proponents say this would better equip teachers to handle school shootings, while some worry it could increase gun violence in schools.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Nancy Holland co-sponsored the bill and says 24 hours of training is not enough.
“All experts agree that this is insufficient. But it’s more than insufficient, it’s dangerous. This is a situation that can only lead to tragedy," Holland said.
Akron’s resolution passed 12 to 1. Ward 9 Councilman Mike Freeman was the sole vote in opposition.
House Bill 99 has now passed both the Ohio Senate and House, and Governor Mike DeWine has indicated he will sign it.
Council members also heard public comment on a resolution to permit Kenmore Construction to create a construction supply yard on Midway St.
Several residents who live near the proposed yard expressed concerns about the environment due to dust from the construction.
Council delayed voting on the resolution due to the concerns.
