SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — City leaders are touting the progress of crime-solving technology across the city since its deployment in December 2023.
"We're moving at speeds that went from minutes to hours versus days to weeks, and that is how you prevent future crimes from occurring," said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.
Data shows the technology has assisted in 229 cases, leading to the arrest of 166 suspects and the recovery of 163 stolen cars.
However, some city leaders say more must be done to help the program function more efficiently.
"I will also let you know about our city's progress right now. We may have to make some amendments because it currently takes our police officers six to nine months to get permission from the City Council to move the location of a Smart Streetlight," said Councilmember Marni von Wilpert.
Smart streetlights were moved into Hillcrest ahead of the Pride Parade this summer after Chief Wahl declared an emergency due to a rise in hate crimes.
The decision sparked pushback from those who argue the cameras are used for mass surveillance.
"I will say, we respect the opinions of those handful of folks—we try to take their input into account—but the bottom line is the vast majority of San Diegans understand the use of this technology and why it's so critical to keeping us safe," said Mayor Todd Gloria.
San Diego police said the cameras are not actively monitored, and data is permanently deleted within 13 days for the smart streetlights and 30 days for the automatic license plate readers, unless the video is used for investigations.
As for the future of crime-solving technologies, Chief Wahl hopes to expand the program and calls on San Diegans to support it.
