My neighborhood is installing license plate readers

[wdwfan51]

Our condo has multiple cameras and 2 license plate cameras. Our management company, police, board members and security committee members are the only ones who can access the footage. When something happens on property someone will look thru the cameras for the appropriate time frame and give the info to the victim/owner who can then let the police know that we have the footage. The police stop by the office and download the footage for their case. The regular cameras are decent but the license plate cameras give excellent views. We have had several incident (breaking into storage units, stolen wallet from unlocked vehicle and stolen vehicle) on property over the last few years and the police are so thankful we have decent cameras. It makes for a quicker apprehension and conviction. Residents don’t seem to care about them and when they are needed we are all very happy to have them.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Seems like an awful place to live. I would move.

 

[GAN]

In what I feel is an unnecessary response to a couple of incidents that occured the same week a couple months ago the HOA board has signed a 2 year contract with flock safety to install license plate readers at both neighborhood entrances positioned in a way to read plates on the way in and out.

https://www.flocksafety.com/

A couple months ago one of the rental properties in the neighborhood became occupied by squatters. The same week that the squatters became known a serial truck thief left a stolen truck in one of the neighborhood parks as he was running from the police at the time.

There was great outrage and an emergency HOA meeting was called. More people came to this meeting than all the prior annual meetings combined. At the meeting people were calling for armed security guards to patrol but backed off quickly when someone quickly did the math and announced that the HOA dues would need to rise $100-$125 monthly per home to cover a 24/7 security presence.

There has been ongoing issues for years with a piece of property right next to the neighborhood. The property is a hangout for known criminals who often WALK to the pool clubhouse to use the external outlets to charge their electronics as the property they are hanging out on has water but no power.

I am not sure that installing a plate reading system is going to help at all unless it comes with some giant ugly signs proclaiming that all vehicles entering the neighborhood are recorded, identified, and uploaded to the cloud. If giant signs are not placed then I can only see this being slightly helpful in investigating after the crime has been committed, not helping in anyway to deter crime.

Seems like we could get most of the positive effects with some giant signs and fake cameras and non of the negative effects.

Does anyone else live in a police state neighborhood with license plate readers?

The cameras are there specifically to be helpful after a crime is committed… and yeah, if criminals know there are cameras they’re more likely to go somewhere else. So I’m not sure why people would be against that - you aren’t doing anything wrong why worry about it. Unless you’re upset with a fee increase. Cameras are the greatest thing ever as far as I’m concerned -just take the recent Idaho murder case as an example!

As far as the neighbors go -what are those outdoor receptacles used for if not for the pool? Sometimes they’re used for seasonal lighting or general maintenance. If that’s the case, why not just shut the breaker off …then when it’s needed the maintenance staff can turn it back on.

 

[kdonnel]

Seems like an awful place to live. I would move.

In 17 years the worst crime actually committed in the neighborhood that I might have experienced is a couple car break ins if you don’t count the son who killed his dad, I don’t. Mental illness was a factor.

The neighborhood is located in the part of the county that experiences the least amount of crime of all levels with the most desirable schools.

Other than what I see as an unnecessary level of monitoring, I object to the cost, it is a great place to live.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We have them in our HOA, Haven't had any incidences likes yours leading up to them being installed and haven't had any incidences afterwards. I like having them. Most of the time, I don't even remember they are there.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

My neighborhood has a Flock system and all the schools in Fulton are currently in the process of installing them. The neighborhood system is accessible only to the HOA and the police. It came in handy for me when there was an incident involving a vehicle in our neighborhood. In under an hour, the HOA was able to give me crystal clear images of the vehicle’s license plate and the police had contacted me for more info. (In that case, the incident involved a teen driver from another neighborhood and the police contacted her parents to discuss the matter. Her father was horrified, and hopefully the whole thing served as a “scared straight” lesson for her, which may save someone’s life in the future.)

I have no issue with the system, unlike living in a gated community, which I hated due to its inconvenience. The system won’t do anything to solve the problem of people walking into your neighborhood, though. I imagine this would’ve already come up in your HOA meetings if it were the case, but since you live close to me I’ll mention it in case it applies to you as well — our neighborhood, like many around us, has its own point-of-contact police officer who we are supposed to call directly regarding any neighborhood concerns. That would be our first step and he would likely increase patrols in the area to deter people from using the clubhouse outlets.

 

[kdonnel]

our neighborhood, like many around us, has its own point-of contact police officer who we are supposed to call directly regarding any neighborhood concerns. That would be our first step and he would likely increase patrols in the area to deter people from using the clubhouse outlets.

We have the same.

Since crime is virtually non existent in our part of the county it is rare to see regular patrols.

After a call we do see patrol cars for a few days or maybe a week but then back to the usual once a month or so.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

We have the same.

Since crime is virtually non existent in our part of the county it is rare to see regular patrols.

After a call we do see patrol cars for a few days or maybe a week but then back to the usual once a month or so.

That virtually non-existent crime is why our police have the time to patrol when requested and monitor our homes for us while on vacation. I think that’d be a good (and no cost) starting point for your neighborhood. Let the officer have a chat with the offenders to remind them about trespassing laws and then keep a closer eye on the clubhouse for a bit. It might help deter the behavior. Maybe it’ll encourage them to move on to another neighborhood for all their phone charging needs.

 

[kdonnel]

That virtually non-existent crime is why our police have the time to patrol when requested and monitor our homes for us while on vacation. I think that’d be a good (and no cost) starting point for your neighborhood. Let the officer have a chat with the offenders to remind them about trespassing laws and then keep a closer eye on the clubhouse for a bit. It might help deter the behavior. Maybe it’ll encourage them to move on to another neighborhood for all their phone charging needs.

That has all happened. The people have been warned and told the next time they trespass they will be taken into custody. That threat is not a big deterrent.

Since crime does not exist in our corner of the county, there are only two patrol officers assigned per shift to cover the entire precinct area. If there is a car accident in the precinct , well there might as well be none.

The adjacent property is basically a homeless encampment. The police have told the neighborhood that at times there are zero to five people living there. One of the residents mother owns the property. He put a camper on the property and lives there. Sometimes he has money for gas for the generator, sometimes he does not. Sometimes he has friends living there, sometimes he does not.


I feel like it makes sense to ask what are we trying to solve and how will this help solve that problem before spending money, creating a new rule, or passing a new law.

In this case there are three things that brought the recent outrage.

1. Squatters. Metro Atlanta saw the nation's largest increase in single family homes owned by investment companies. This was fueled by people selling their homes to Opendoor, Orchard, etc. Those companies decided to hold the properties purchased and rent them. License plate readers are not going to stop owners from selling to investors.

2. The serial truck thief ditching. Some guy liked to steal F-250 and take them for joy rides. He stole a truck from a neighboring county and during the police chase that ensued he drove through the backyard of a home in our neighborhood, down their driveway, and backed the stolen truck down into one of the neighborhood parks, concealing it between a fence and the woods. The only property damage was a single wooden fence panel broken out as he entered the backyard. He did not enter the neighborhood where the license plate readers will be installed. He fled on foot. He was eventually caught a few weeks later but not until he had stolen 20 trucks in 20 different incidents.

3. Nearly homeless people occasionally using publically accessible electrical outlets at the pool clubhouse. This is a societal issue. License plate readers are not going to solve this problem.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

That has all happened. The people have been warned and told the next time they trespass they will be taken into custody. That threat is not a big deterrent.

Since crime does not exist in our corner of the county, there are only two patrol officers assigned per shift to cover the entire precinct area. If there is a car accident in the precinct , well there might as well be none.

The adjacent property is basically a homeless encampment. The police have told the neighborhood that at times there are zero to five people living there. One of the residents mother owns the property. He put a camper on the property and lives there. Sometimes he has money for gas for the generator, sometimes he does not. Sometimes he has friends living there, sometimes he does not.


I feel like it makes sense to ask what are we trying to solve and how will this help solve that problem before spending money, creating a new rule, or passing a new law.

In this case there are three things that brought the recent outrage.

1. Squatters. Metro Atlanta saw the nation's largest increase in single family homes owned by investment companies. This was fueled by people selling their homes to Opendoor, Orchard, etc. Those companies decided to hold the properties purchased and rent them. License plate readers are not going to stop owners from selling to investors.

2. The serial truck thief ditching. Some guy liked to steal F-250 and take them for joy rides. He stole a truck from a neighboring county and during the police chase that ensued he drove through the backyard of a home in our neighborhood, down their driveway, and backed the stolen truck down into one of the neighborhood parks, concealing it between a fence and the woods. The only property damage was a single wooden fence panel broken out as he entered the backyard. He did not enter the neighborhood where the license plate readers will be installed. He fled on foot. He was eventually caught a few weeks later but not until he had stolen 20 trucks in 20 different incidents.

3. Nearly homeless people occasionally using publically accessible electrical outlets at the pool clubhouse. This is a societal issue. License plate readers are not going to solve this problem.

Hmmm… my only other thought about the folks living on the adjacent property is to see if anything can be done (local charities/programs) to help them get the support they need so they can keep their electricity on, which should hopefully eliminate their need to come use yours.

Regarding #1, your HOA can prohibit or cap the percentage of houses in your neighborhood that are allowed to rent if that’s become an issue in your neighborhood.

I agree that Flock isn’t going to solve any of these problems, though I don’t think the system is a bad thing to have overall.

 

[_19disnA]

Seems like license plate readers won't deter crime and the person the car is registrered to may not be the one driving. Sounds like an expensive/complicated solution to the wrong problem. If someone was squatting at a vacant property, the HOA should work with local authorities to get them evicted and more like a one-time thing.

Shutting off the power to external outlets at the clubhouse seems like something reasonable that should be done to deter those from using the electricity during off hours.

Having one of the neighbors act as some kind self-appointed vigilante is a really bad idea. He has no legal authority to challenge/confront people and things could go terribly wrong if some sort of weapon was involved. HOA could find themselves in legal problems if a board member was acting this way and someone ends up suing them.

 

[Mysterian]

I've never heard of plate readers being used for this purpose. I can understand if, say, a crime or accident occurs and the plates involved are documented. This neighborhood seems weird. A ex-Fed and "known criminals" running around charging their phones? This should be a Netflix comedy.

In my city, the only plater readers I'm aware of involve cops using a third party company to target drivers without insurance.

 

[RangerPooh]

Our community installed maybe half a dozen or so Flock cameras on various high use roads. Doesn’t bother me. If they help solve crimes then it’s a good thing.

 

[kdonnel]

Regarding #1, your HOA can prohibit or cap the percentage of houses in your neighborhood that are allowed to rent if that’s become an issue in your neighborhood.

Much easier said than done.

Such a change requires 2/3 to vote for the change.

There is absolutely no way we will get 2/3 to vote, let alone to vote a certain way.

I for one would NOT vote to limit the number of rental homes. While I have no plans to sell in the near future, I would not want to limit who I could sell the home to or limit my ability to rent the home if I desire.

I don't remember the exact specifics but there was also the option to convert the HOA to a POA. That also sounded undesirable to me as it gave up many of the protections homeowners had to control the HOA.

 

[GreatLakes]

I'm with you on the plate thing. It isn't going to solve any of the issues you are mentioning. None of the squatters seem to drive and considering you know where they are it isn't like you need to identify them. Someone driving a stolen truck into your neighborhood, even if through the proper driveway, isn't going to be impacted by having the license plate read. It may make it easier for the police to determine the timing of the event but nothing else.

It seems like someone wants the problem to be a nail so they can solve it with their hammer.

 

[DisneYE]

In 17 years the worst crime actually committed in the neighborhood that I might have experienced is a couple car break ins if you don’t count the son who killed his dad, I don’t. Mental illness was a factor.

The neighborhood is located in the part of the county that experiences the least amount of crime of all levels with the most desirable schools.

Other than what I see as an unnecessary level of monitoring, I object to the cost, it is a great place to live.

What was done about the squatters you mentioned on your OP?
That's a pretty egregious crime - way more serious that vehicle breakins/theft.
curious as to what was done about it by your HOA/law enforcement.
Is it still happening?

 

[kdonnel]

What was done about the squatters you mentioned on your OP?
That's a pretty egregious crime - way more serious that vehicle breakins/theft.
curious as to what was done about it by your HOA/law enforcement.
Is it still happening?

They are long gone.

I guess it was about 6 months ago. Within a couple days of finding out there were squatters, the HOA contacted the management company responsible for the home, the county sheriff came out, the squatters left.

About 2 weeks later real tenants moved into the home.