Full Notification

In July 2023, the Berkeley City Council approved placing Automated License Plate Readers at 52 locations throughout the city. Over the past year and a half, the Department fulfilled all requirements under the City’s Surveillance Technology Ordinance, including a detailed submission and thorough review process. Cameras now operate in 32 of those locations, and the remaining sites will come online as soon as Caltrans finalizes the necessary permits. 

On October 1st, the Department began an initial trial period for the ALPR system. During this time, the technology helped officers 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. When that vehicle returned to Berkeley weeks later, officers arrested the driver and recovered stolen items. This 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.

The trial period brought in a dozen arrests and the recovery of nine stolen vehicles. Starting today, the entire department has access to this new technology, providing an additional tool to support public safety efforts. We remain aware that this valuable public safety tool must be utilized with careful and thoughtful deployment that honors both privacy and community standards. Our department appreciates everyone who contributed to this endeavor and will share more about its results and responsible use moving forward.