Installation of License Plate Readers Starts in September

Installation of Piedmont's license plate reader system will begin soon after Labor Day and the last of the 39 cameras should be in place sometime between late November and the end of December, according to Police Chief Rikki Goede.

Ray's Electric, a long-established Oakland company, will do the installation work as a subcontractor to 3M, manufacturer of the system, Goede said.

The Piedmont City Council approved purchase of the $678,613 system in June. It will include 39 cameras at 15 locations in Piedmont, with an emphasis on entrance and egress points and relatively high-crime areas of the city.The cameras take still photos of license plates and the front of vehicles.

The system will be connected to a database that can alert police to stolen cars or vehicles belonging to those with outstanding warrants.

The city already has one license plate reader, a mobile unit for a police vehicle purchased last year. It regularly identifies stolen vehicles that have been abandoned in Piedmont.

For more information on the license plate reader system, see:

"License Plate Readers for All Roads In and Out of Piedmont Under Study"

"Council Warms to License Plate Cameras"

"City Eyes Smaller License Plate Camera System"

"City Council Approves License Plate Reader System Purchase"

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