Editor,
Your newspaper recently reported that the Burlingame City Council is not ready to approve the use of automated license plate reading cameras (“New surveillance cameras on hold for Burlingame” in the March 1 edition of the Daily Journal). Some councilmembers are concerned about the privacy rights of individuals and, again, want to delay this important technology tool. The council also opted out of this in 2015.
In the meantime, crime has skyrocketed in our city. Every day we hear and read of porch pirates stealing packages, car and house break-ins. Stores have had mobs stealing large quantities of merchandise and catalytic converters are sawed off daily in addition to outright vehicle theft. Crime is very common.
LPR cameras, stationary or mobile or just like any modern smartphone camera. They take photographs of license plates and stamp the picture with the date, time and location coordinates of where they were taken.
Other nearby cities have rolled out this technology but some members of our City Council still want to study it more and issue more surveys. Councilmember Ann O’Brien Keighran has an excellent suggestion to start out with a limited number of cameras and see if the program proves successful. I would also add that sometimes the sight of a camera would be enough to deter some criminals from executing their plans.
Let’s give the Burlingame police department a great tool for deterring criminals.
Communities deserve to have their law enforcement agencies equipped with the best technologies to prevent and solve crime.
Constance Quirk
Burlingame
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