Spy cams on sweepers brushed aside — for now
[From Spy cams on sweepers brushed aside -- for now :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: City Hall]
The Sun-Times reported last week that the experiment on installing license plate recognition software (ALPR) on street sweepers has stalled. The idea was to use street sweepers to identify illegally parked cars and then generate tickets based on the license plate of the cars. The idea seemed to work in early tests and the project, dubbed “Sweepercam,” earned a 2009 CIO 100 award. While seem people didn’t like this idea, I thought it was a very reasonable way of using smart cameras. The street sweepers go up and down every street, why not let them ticket illegally parked vehicles?
The city tested the cameras on six sweepers. I initially assumed the results were positive, because of the news coverage. However, the city never revealed any details on the tests of sweepercam. I can assume the benefits were not significant, since they are not going forward. The news story gives two reasons for why the program is stalled. The first is that it is to expensive to do:
“To get the desired results consistently, we need to pair our camera technology with higher-tech signage that will work in conjunction with the cameras to confirm our data so that it can stand up in a hearing,” said Streets and Sanitation spokesman Matt Smith. To post those signs citywide would require “time, effort and resources” the city doesn’t have, Smith said.
The other reason comes from the contractor:
John Kosiba, chief operating officer for Span Tech, said the cameras are being removed until the Legislature decides the future of video surveillance for moving violations.
I really don’t understand the reason given by the city. What is higher-tech signage? The only thing I can figure out, is that the city needs a way to prove a car was at a given location. Please let me know if you understand the city’s position.
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