A plan to reduce crime in the Melrose District is being implemented Tuesday with the installation of automated license plate recognition cameras.
The cameras will be placed throughout the Melrose business corridor and surrounding neighborhood, community organization Melrose Action and Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz announced.
Melrose Action co-founder Peter Nichols told the Los Angeles Times he has been disturbed by recent crimes in the area.
“We went through a homicide cycle. Then we then we went through an armed robbery cycle that lasted for several months,” Nichols told the Times. “Now the latest is the smash-and-grabs.”
Koretz said the 12 cameras being installed will “provide a next level of surveillance.”
“It’s just another step to send a message that if you commit a crime on Melrose we’re gonna stop you, we’re gonna catch you, and we’re gonna prosecute you,” Koretz said.
Melrose Action raised more than $30,000 and Koretz contributed another $10,000 to get the program off the ground, according to a news release announcing the project.
License plate readers have come under fire over potential privacy issues as usage has grown among law enforcement agencies, the Times reported.
The California state auditor said last year that the LAPD and three other law enforcement agencies had not provided sufficient privacy protections.