Breed is proposing the city use part of a $17 million state grant that is meant to reduce retail theft to fund the new cameras. But it will require approval from the Board of Supervisors, under a city law that usually requires an initial 30-day waiting period and then two committee hearings to approve changes to an existing policy.
Breed said the waiting period was not necessary because license plate readers already went through that process and are currently used in the city. However, technical changes like what kind of files are stored, and which vendor is used, must still be approved.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California opposes automated license plate readers and urges against their widespread use. The organization did not respond to a request for comment on the city's new proposal by the time of publication.
The legislative changes proposed by Breed would allow for changes in the vendor that maintains the digital files. Also, according to Breed, this would include which type of files are used and stored; allow vehicle theft abatement funds to complete the purchase; and would give law enforcement more access to other databases to identify stolen vehicles.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott called the camera network a game-changer.
There were 562 vehicle thefts in San Francisco in August, the last full month reported by the city's open data portal.
