Why this matters
Proponents of more police surveillance technology say cameras can help law enforcement prevent crime and solve cases. Opponents argue these cameras could infringe on privacy.
Imperial Beach officials will let law enforcement install cameras to track license plates and people across the city.
The councilmembers’ unanimous vote Wednesday authorized the city manager to negotiate a future contract with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office to install six cameras. More may be installed in the future if city leaders fully implement the sheriff’s recommendations.
Councilmember Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez was absent.
The new equipment includes four automated license plate reader cameras, which are solar-powered and can capture colored photos of vehicles traveling as fast as 70 mph and up to 65 feet away, according to a staff report.
Two additional street cameras that record video “for law enforcement use” and are not monitored live will be part of a two-month pilot program, according to a staff report.
Officials did not clarify where the cameras would be installed, though the sheriff’s department has offered specific intersections in its recommendations. In total, the agency has recommended eight license plate readers and three street cameras in Imperial Beach.
Possible camera locations
The sheriff’s department has recommended the following locations for the license plate readers:
- Imperial Beach Boulevard and 13th Street
- Palm Avenue and 13th Street
- 13th Street and Elm Avenue
- Ninth Street and Palm Avenue
Public safety cameras would be at:
- An median at the 800 block of Palm Avenue
- Palm Avenue and Seacoast Drive
- Imperial Beach Boulevard and Seacoast Drive
Councilmember Mariko Nakawatase asked Lt. Christopher Galve how the sheriff’s department will measure the program’s success.
Galve said the cameras could serve as deterrents, and that success will be “difficult to measure.”
“In terms of what is success, it’s really kind of up to us,” he said.
“If we’re able to solve crimes using these cameras, the public safety cameras, especially in the locations they’re at, it’s a success to me.”
License plate readers have drawn rebuke from communities across the county.
A 2022 inewsource investigation found police agencies across five cities in San Diego County violated state law by sharing license plate data with agencies all over the United States. Last year, CalMatters found Southern California police agencies, including San Diego County, violated state law more than 100 times in one month by sharing information with federal agents.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta last year filed a lawsuit against the city of El Cajon alleging that officials jeopardized the privacy and safety of residents by illegally sharing sensitive location data.
The sheriff’s department uses the company Flock Safety for its license plate readers. The cameras “capture only vehicle-related data and do not collect personal information, facial recognition or biometric identifiers,” according to a staff report.
Vivian Dunbar, a San Ysidro resident who said she frequently shops in Imperial Beach, said installing cameras is a “trade-off of privacy for security.” She raised concerns about data-sharing, including with immigration law enforcement.
“There’s problems where they’ve been hacked,” she said about the camera data. “People have used them to stop people, people have been incorrectly arrested or falsely identified, so they’re not foolproof.”
Councilmember Carol Seabury pushed back on criticism of the cameras.
“I believe that if you are a parent of someone that is being kidnapped or of crime, this is worth a million dollars to you if you can bring back your loved one,” she said. “You gotta balance the safety or the fear. There will always be fear for people because: human nature.”
Councilmember Jack Fisher referenced how the San Diego Police Department used license plate readers to try to find the teens accused of shooting and killing three people at the San Diego’s Islamic Center last month.
Authorities used the cameras earlier in the morning to try to find the teens, after one of their mothers warned police of potential acts of violence. Through the cameras, authorities learned that the vehicle the teens were driving had been in Mission Valley that morning, but officers dispatched to the area did not find them.
Less than an hour later, SDPD received reports of shots fired at the Islamic Center.
Police soon found the suspects, dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, in a BMW less than a mile away.
Fisher said the cameras allowed police to be close by and “kept the shooting from being more than what it was.” Adding license plate readers could extend help to the southern part of the county, he said.
“I think this gives us a great opportunity to join forces with other agencies, and especially with our sheriff’s department and helping to do what we can,” he said.
The city has enough funds, nearly $13,000 annually, to cover the initial installation and use of the four license plate readers each year, Chief Administrative Officer Erika Cortez-Martinez said.
The sheriff’s office provides law enforcement services for Imperial Beach, and has deployed the cameras in other cities it contracts with. The department also plans to install license place readers into unincorporated areas, including Alpine, Julian, Lakeside, Ramona, Rancho San Diego and Spring Valley.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
