LAPD's Project Blue Light Starts at Topanga Mall in June with ALPR
LAPD plans to include private cameras in 10K-strong surveillance network
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) intends to develop a new surveillance center that will give police centralized access to live security feeds from cameras in public and private spaces, pending budget approval from Mayor Karen Bass. The department hopes to be able to access 10,000 cameras through the city through the program, which has been dubbed LAPD Live.

Real-time surveillance center to utilize live feeds from home security cameras

The real-time crime command center would give police access to security cameras in and on city buildings, retail stores, police body cams and the department’s helicopters. It would integrate other software such as the Compstat intelligence tool onto one single screen. Homeowners could also register their own security cameras with the department to share footage from their property and be notified if a crime is committed nearby.

LAPD argues the program will reduce time and money spent on investigating crimes, gathering evidence, and talking to witnesses while “eliminat[ing] the need for officer visits to private residents” which in turn “preserves individual privacy.” It would also help mitigate the effect of a recent decline in sworn officers.

And in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed put a measure on the next ballot to deregulate police use of facial recognition as tech investors contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding toward the cause.

Surveillance will cost state of California and participating businesses

The center is projected to cost $1 million as part of a proposed $239 budget increase for Los Angeles police. It received approval from the Board of Police Commissioners for the budget request for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, despite that seven members of the public spoke out against the program at the meeting. It must now receive approval from Mayor Bass and the LA City Council.

Funding could cover costs for software, new computers, and training. Fusus’ real-time surveillance software would cost almost $300,000 a year to operate. If the budget increase is approved, the program would first be piloted in three patrol areas before being implemented in all 21 of LAPD police stations and four major patrol bureaus.

The department released a formal outline of the plan in an October 2023 grant application to the state of California for a broader effort to combat organized retail theft – called Project Blue Light. The state would end up awarding a $15 million grant, which would fund the acquisition of 300 new automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras as well as infrastructure costs, in December 2023.

Project Blue Light would allow LAPD to access real-time video feeds of shoppers and workers. Businesses that wish to participate would need to cover costs on their own, exact numbers for which have not been revealed. Costs would vary based on the number of cameras registered.

Surveillance may not mitigate crime, but could impact future of over-policing

Recent patterns in shoplifting crime rates raise questions as to why officials would expand surveillance. The new anti-shoplifting program comes after a 28.7 percent spike in shoplifting between 2021 and 2022, but a 10 percent decline in shoplifting between 2015 and 2022.

The program may also fall short in combating violent crime. The National Institute of Justice gave Project Green Light, a similar Detroit real-time surveillance program sans the use of private cameras, a No Effects rating when evaluating its impact on crime reduction, claiming the program made no statistically significant difference in the reporting of violent crime or disorder occurrences a year after its implementation. Reported property crimes, however, saw a 27 percent decrease.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics set to take place in Los Angeles, the LAPD intends to have the surveillance program in full effect in time to keep these events secure.

As of June 2024, Topanga Mall will be the first location to install ALPRs and share its camera feeds with city police. The program is expected to be fully operational by 2027.

City of Los Angeles - Los Angeles Police Department - Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program: Application original submission 07/07/2023. biometricupdate.com

Los Angeles Public Press: The LAPD wants access to 10,000 cameras across the city