The El Monte City Council approved the purchase of 38 automated license plate readers and four Raven Audio Gunshot Detection Devices for the El Monte Police Department.
The total cost is $499,300 but does not impact the city’s budget, as it will instead use the American Rescue Plan Act and Asset Forfeiture Funding.
“The City is committed to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of our police department with the investment in additional technological assets to increase public safety,” said Alma Martinez, El Monte City Manager said in a statement.
This funding comes in addition to a $3 million grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections to support the city’s Commercial Cannabis Permit Program. The city dedicated at least one third of this grant to “increase El Monte Police Department’s bandwidth to proactively enforce both illegal and legal cannabis operators citywide.”
The license plate readers are camera systems that are placed on points of entry and exit of major intersections. These cameras capture license plate numbers along with the date, time and location.
In addition, the Raven Audio Gunshot Detection Devices can detect gunshots, identify the source of the sound and work with the license plate reader system to provide context to the El Monte police officers responding to an incident.
“Our top priority is always the safety of our community. These cutting-edge technologies will significantly enhance our ability to prevent and investigate crime, which will help us keep our community safer,” said Jake Fisher, El Monte Chief of Police in a statement. “Having this technology will ensure that we are addressing gun violence and preventing criminal activity in the city.”
