San Francisco begins installing 400 license plate reading cameras

SAN FRANCISCO - The City of San Francisco is moving forward with plans to install hundreds of license plate readers across the city. 

On Wednesday, at 9th Avenue and Irving Street in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, city officials and community groups came together to show off the new technology that they hope will address public safety issues around the city. 

City officials, including Mayor London Breed, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and others in leadership did a ‘show and tell’ about the new license plate reader cameras that are being installed around the city. 

Mayor Breed talked about what the cameras will do and what they don't include. 

"This does not include speed cameras. This does not include facial recognition, but it will be useful for Amber Alerts," said Breed. "It will help us to find missing persons as well." 

The City received a $15.3 million grant back in October and now, just six months later, they're starting to be installed. The city applied for the grant to address organized retail theft. 

"They're up and they're operable and that is an amazing accomplishment," said San Francisco's Chief of Police Bill Scott. 

He said this new technology is a force multiplier for his officers and investigators. 

"This is a very exciting thing over the next three months. These automated license plate readers, as Mayor Breed said, 400 cameras in 100 locations, giving our officers incredible tools to catch criminals," said Scott. "This grant will not only help us with just retail theft, this will help us address all crimes, homicides, robberies, assaults, car break-ins, you name it! This will help address all crimes." 

D.A. Jenkins was grateful to have the partnership and the cameras as they will work as a deterrent to criminals ultimately.  

"This is a sign today that those days are over. We are moving forward as a city to make sure that people who create crime in San Francisco not only that they are caught, but they are convicted," Jenkins said. 

Jenkins emphasized the need for the cameras when it comes to providing evidence in a jury trial that will help make charges stick. 

"The way we are going to solve the most pressing problems and safety issues in San Francisco, is not just through arrests, but by making sure people are held accountable after that arrest in the courtroom," said Jenkins. 

District Supervisor Myrna Melgar was appreciative of the partnership and the city divisions that seek to improve safety for all throughout the city. 

"This corner is very, very busy. There have been hit and runs. There have been all kinds of things that having a camera here would be really helpful and making the community feel safe," said Melgar. 

The cameras will be installed over the next three months in various locations around the city.