After the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the implementation of automated license plate readers into unincorporated communities on Oct. 22, the Rancho Santa Fe Association expects the public safety tool to be implemented in the Covenant as soon as possible.

The automated license plate recognition (LPR) cameras are a useful public safety tool, scanning all vehicles that cross their path and assisting law enforcement in finding missing persons, investigating crimes and helping to identify human activity related to wildland fires.

“License plate recognition cameras are a means of added safety and security for Association members, they have been successfully deployed all over the country, said Association Assistant Manager Brian Bosse during an update at the board’s November meeting.

Since 2009, LPRs have been used in cities such as Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. The county’s action approved installing LPRs in the communities of Rancho Santa Fe,4S Ranch, Ramona, Fallbrook, Borrego Springs, Julian, Alpine, Campo and Rancho San Diego. Rancho Santa Fe has the most LPRs proposed with eight strategic locations throughout the community.

The San Diego County Sheriffs Department will manage the installation, management and operation of Rancho Santa Fes LPRs which will cost $37,000 in the first year and $31,000 for the following years.

While the Association had budgeted for the cost, Rancho Santa Fe Patrol Chief Mike Scaramella was able to secure funding through an agreement with the Rancho Santa Fe Community Service District: “They are very involved in safety and they found this to be a great investment,” Bosse said.

The cameras are small and unobtrusive, mounted on poles. The locations in Rancho Santa Fe include:

El Mirlo, north of Rancho Santa Fe Road La Bajada at Rancho Santa Fe Road Lomas Santa Fe at El Floresta El Camino Real at Sunny Acres Lane, Via de la Valle west of Las Planideras Via de Santa Fe at Calzada del Bosque, El Camino Del Norte, west of Flores de Ora Del Dios Highway at Calle Ambiente

As Bosse reminded the board, LPR data is only shared with law enforcement—the Association and the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol will not have access. The law prohibits the sheriff’s department from selling the data and it cannot be shared across state lines. The data is only stored for up to a year unless it is being used in a criminal investigation.