You won’t be on camera when driving through the streets of Lathrop – yet.
The City of Lathrop pulled an item from the city council agenda Monday night that would have authorized the purchase and installation of state-of-the-art cameras capable of scanning license plates, citing the need for more time to research the options that are on the table and determine the best course of action moving forward.
The plan that was included in the staff report for Monday’s meeting called for the installation of camera systems at four strategic locations – Harlan Road and Louise Avenue, Golden Valley and River Islands Parkways, Harlan and Lathrop Roads, and Golden Valley Parkway and Lathrop Road once the intersection is signalized. The four locations handle the majority of the city’s traffic and would serve as a gateway for many vehicles traveling into or out of the city.
No timetable was set for the item’s return to the council’s docket, but it is believed that it will be brought back in a timely matter so that the city can act on the recommendation.
Currently Lathrop utilizes Motorola security cameras at several locations, according to the staff report, and with the company’s recent acquisition of one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of license plate readers, the company would likely be tapped to outfit the strategic locations already laid out. The city has already tested a new camera from the company that utilizes technology that allows for it to cover multiple lanes of traffic with a single lens – meaning that less cameras would need to be installed to monitor the flow of traffic through some of the city’s busiest intersections.
The proposal also initially called for the purchase of mobile trailer capable of performing the same tasks with the added benefit of being deployable to strategic locations as needed.
The proposed cost of outfitting each intersection with the necessary cameras was listed at $30,500, and the total cost for the initial proposal – which would outfit six locations in the city including the mobile trailer – would be $250,000. An additional $175,000 would have been needed for electricity and wireless service at each of the camera locations, and the purchase of additional mobile surveillance equipment as needed is also being included in the proposal for a total cost of $425,000.
If the council moves forward with the initial proposal, the $250,000 cost of the cameras and the trailer would come from Measure C – which has been utilized by the city to pay for essential city services such as traffic signals in the past – while the $175,000 contingency for the installation and expansion would come from existing salary savings.
The City of Lathrop will publicly notice the item when it once again placed on the council agenda. Those documents are typically available to the public on the Thursday before a council meeting. For additional information, or to view the staff report for the initial proposal, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
