On Monday night, the City Council approved a resolution to install 16 cameras that read license plates to track down vehicles.
The subject came up during Monday night's City Council meeting.
A handful of residents expressed concerns about privacy, but Police Capt. Cristin Lyon reassured them that the cameras would only be used in open cases or specific circumstances, including to help find missing children, robbery suspects or drug dealers.
The equipment will not collect data on residents but will provide "a snapshot of the license and the vehicle," she said.
"Is this going to turn into somebody runs a red light and they get a ticket in the mail? It's not going to be that," she said. "That's not what we're looking for, and I know the community isn't looking for that."
Council members also noted that the program isn't "Big Brother" trying to keep tabs on city residents. They had heard some concerns from constituents about it.
Councilman Cliff G. Olney III asked Lyon what kind of impact the city can expect from the cameras. She said that it's difficult to measure until they are used.
The city has received a $38,650 grant to implement the program for 11 cameras while the city will pay $18,650 to install five others. The city will pay a company "basically a subscription" to use the equipment, Lyon said.
The police department will keep the whereabouts of the cameras a secret to protect them from theft or vandalism, she said.
City Attorney Kristen Smith told council members that the program has been in the works for a few years. Council members needed to approve the resolution to get permission from the state Department of Transportation to install the equipment along roads, she said.
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