LAPD's license plate reader pilot moves ahead after council falls one vote short
A 9-6 vote on Oct. 27 wasn't enough to block the three-month pilot. A separate $235 million Axon contract still needs council approval.
By LA This Weekend Team · November 8, 20260 views
A three-month pilot that puts license plate reader cameras on city streetlights can go ahead after the Los Angeles City Council fell one vote short of blocking it on Oct. 27, LAist reported.
How the vote went
- The Board of Police Commissioners approved the Axon pilot, along with a larger contract, 3-0 on Sept. 22.
- On Oct. 6, the council voted 10-4 to take jurisdiction over the decision.
- On Oct. 20, the Public Safety Committee voted 3-2 to recommend a veto, with Curren Price, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez in favor and John Lee and Traci Park opposed.
- Overturning the commission takes 10 of the council's 15 votes. The Oct. 27 veto vote was 9-6, so the pilot stands.
The pilot comes at no cost to the city, and LAPD has said it will issue monthly reports while it runs.
The bigger contract
The second item is a 10-year, $235 million contract with Axon that would run through July 2036, according to a staff report cited by the Los Angeles Daily News. It covers body cameras, in-car camera systems, Tasers, digital evidence storage and an AI tool that drafts police reports from body-camera audio. MyNewsLA reports it covers more than 1,600 patrol-car cameras with plate-reader technology. The council has not voted on it yet. It still needs council approval and is under review by the City Administrative Officer.
Our take
The pilot's monthly reports will be the first real look at how these cameras are used on LA streets. The contract vote is the bigger decision, and it lands as a new mayor prepares to take office. If you have a view, it's worth telling your councilmember before that vote is scheduled.
Sources
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LA This Weekend Team