Latest news with #AutomatedLicensePlateRecognition
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Seattle Councilmember Cathy Moore to step down July 7, citing health issues
Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore announced Monday that she will step down from her District 5 seat on July 7, citing health and personal reasons. In a statement, Moore said the decision follows months of consideration due to recent health challenges. 'My decision to leave the City Council is one I've been considering seriously over the past several months due to some recent health challenges,' Moore said. 'Ultimately, I believe that District 5 community members deserve a representative who can give their full attention to the critical issues facing the City and its neighborhoods.' Moore, a former King County Superior Court judge, was elected to the Council in 2023. She ran on a platform focused on public safety, housing, and homelessness, while pledging to maintain Seattle's progressive values. Her departure comes halfway through her four-year term. During her time in office, Moore led or contributed to several initiatives, including: Moore partnered with community groups and the Seattle Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit to advance new loitering laws targeting pimps and sex buyers. She secured $2 million in funding for emergency shelter beds and services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation. She also helped expand CCTV coverage along Aurora Avenue from North 85th Street to North 145th Street. Alongside Councilmember Maritza Rivera, she supported funding a new North Seattle public safety hub and voted to raise police salaries. That move has contributed to a notable uptick in officer hiring. Moore also backed expanding CARE civilian crisis response services, which now operate in District 5. As chair of the Housing and Human Services Committee, Moore helped secure an additional $5 million in rental assistance in 2024, doubling the fund to $10 million. She also sponsored an overhaul of the rental assistance process to improve how vulnerable tenants are identified and supported before falling behind on rent. Moore obtained $5.9 million to boost non-congregate shelter capacity, $1.9 million in homelessness prevention funding, and funds to open a seasonal winter shelter in District 5. She also played a key role in updating Seattle's participation in the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, helping revise the interlocal agreement and bylaws to improve accountability and coordination. Thanks to Moore's efforts, the 2024 voter-approved Transportation Levy included a historic investment in new sidewalks for District 5. The district, which has 36% of the city's missing sidewalks, is now slated to receive the same percentage of new sidewalk construction—more than any other area in Seattle. Moore co-sponsored legislation this year to strengthen local protections against harmful federal actions, specifically in the areas of reproductive and gender-affirming care. She also backed amendments to place guardrails on the use of Automated License Plate Recognition systems and the deployment of blast balls during protests. Her advocacy also contributed to the Seattle Department of Transportation launching a pilot program that closed certain areas of Aurora Avenue at night, a move credited with reducing gun violence between North 101st and North 107th streets. In her farewell statement, Moore thanked District 5 residents for their support. 'I want to wholeheartedly thank the residents of District 5 for their engagement and support during my time here,' she said. 'Serving on the Seattle City Council has truly been an honor for me, both personally and professionally.' The Seattle City Charter requires the Council to fill any vacancy within 20 calendar days. Additional details on the appointment process for Moore's replacement are expected to be announced soon.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
New Real Time Intelligence Center helps nab suspected San Jose killer
(KRON) — A homicide victim was intentionally struck by a vehicle in San Jose in a business' parking lot along Southwest Expressway, police said. San Jose Police Department officers found the victim just after 6 a.m. Wednesday. 'Officers located an adult male victim who was not conscious nor breathing,' Sgt. Jorge Garibay wrote. An on-scene examination by a Santa Clara County coroner noted signs of trauma on the man's body that were consistent with being hit by a vehicle. Investigators said the deadly incident appeared to be an 'intentional act.'Homicide detectives worked with SJPD's new Real Time Intelligence Center, where analysts examined footage from a recently expanded network of public safety cameras in an effort to identify a suspect vehicle. Mother of two young boys identified as victim of fatal San Jose crash By leveraging the camera network and Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology, detectives identified both a suspect vehicle and a person of interest, 45-year-old Jaime Cruz Castanon of San Jose. On Wednesday evening, the vehicle and Cruz Castanon were found. The suspected killer was booked into jail on murder charges. 'The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,' Garibay wrote. Police did not release the victim's name on Thursday. There have been 10 homicides in San Jose in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
License plate technology helps find 2 stolen vehicles, suspects within hours
Police in Culver City are crediting license plate technology for assisting in the recovery of two stolen vehicles in a matter of hours over the weekend. The cars involved in separate incidents were recovered Saturday afternoon, when officers received real-time alerts from their Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system, the Culver City Police Department posted on X. The first suspect was found around 6 a.m. when the stolen vehicle was located on the 10700 block of Jefferson Boulevard. 'The driver was arrested without incident,' police said. About two hours later, officers received another stolen vehicle notification and spotted the car near Sepulveda and Culver boulevards before conducting a traffic stop on the 4300 block of Sepulveda. The driver was arrested for vehicle theft, and a passenger was also busted for drug possession, police said. The Department described the incidents as 'another example of how technology and proactive policing are working together to keep Culver City safe.' ALPR systems automatically capture an image of a vehicle and the vehicle's license plate and compare the plate number to one or more databases known as 'hot lists' of vehicles and then alert law enforcement officers, according to the ALPR FAQs page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New license plate readers helping Pueblo sheriff's office combat car theft and other crime
Pueblo County sheriff's deputies recently acquired 73 Mobile Automated License Plate Recognition systems (ALPRs), giving them a new tool to search for stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, missing persons, and vehicles that may be involved in the commission of a crime. 'This is another great tool that our deputies now have at their fingertips to assist in identifying stolenvehicles and helping with criminal investigations,' Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said in a news release. 'We have had this technology for less than a month and it is already making a positive impact on our efforts to locate stolen vehicles and stolen license plates.' The ALPRS have been installed in each marked patrol vehicle as part of its dash camera unit. The system can read up to three lanes of view regardless of whether vehicles are traveling with or against the path of the patrol vehicle, according to the release from the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. The system reads the numbers and letters on the license plate with a detection distance of up to approximately 1 mile. The camera captures pictures of a vehicle and its license plate and then compares the plate to several different state and national crime databases. If a stolen plate or vehicle is detected, deputies receive an alert, both audibly and visually, through the onboard camera system of a 'hit' through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The process of reading the plate, clearing NCIC and notifying the deputy is less than a second. Deputies must visually confirm what state the license plate is from to determine if a hit is valid locally, according to the release. Since going live with the new readers on Feb. 14, sheriff's deputies have received 177 hits, resulting in two recovered stolen vehicles and seven recovered stolen license plates. License plates can be stolen individually for a number of reasons, according to the PCSO. Most commonly, they are stolen to avoid detection in a stolen vehicle, including during the commission of other crimes and to hide the identity of the perpetrator. After reading a license plate, the information can be stored for up to 180 days. The data can be used as an investigative tool for law enforcement for uses such as "identifying vehicles that fail to yield, narcotics investigations into vehicle locations, identifying theft and burglary vehicles, and identifying the travel path of a vehicle of interest," according to the release. Information obtained from the license plate readers can be shared with other law enforcement agenciesupon request and review. 'This technology is a useful tool for our deputies in tracking down stolen vehicles and vehicles ofinterest in other crimes, but I want to be clear that deputies must verify the information obtained fromthe reader before taking any enforcement action,' Lucero said. License plate theft is a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 120 days in jail and/or a $750 fine. While the penalty for motor vehicle theft varies by degree, which can change depending on aggravating factors such as damage to the vehicle and/or repeat offenses, the crime is almost always a felony, carrying a penalty of at least one to three years in prison upon conviction. Pueblo County recorded 1,642 auto thefts in 2023 and 1,088 in 2024, according to the Colorado Stolen Vehicle Database. In 2023, Pueblo police recorded 1,933 car thefts. In 2024, that number dropped to 1,357. More on car thefts: Car thefts dropped nearly 30% in Pueblo last year. What's making the difference? Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@ Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado sheriff's office fighting vehicle theft with new plate readers
