License plate recognition cameras to curb crime in Melrose District

Melrose residents, business owners step up to help fight crime

From smash-and-grab to follow-home robberies, Melrose has seen it all. Now neighbors are coming together to take action and help make their community safe again.

LOS ANGELES - A community hit hard by surging crime is taking action. Residents in the Melrose District say enough is enough, and they are now coming together to install plate recognition technology along streets in the area.

"We’ve explored it, we’re in contract with it and we’re moving forward," said Peter Nicholas the Vice President of Melrose Action. "We are literally deploying this program privately. We are not involving the city or city property."

It is not known how many or where they will be placed, but Nicholas says it will include both residential and commercial properties.

He says data from the plate recognition technology will only be accessible to law enforcement and not the general public. His hope is that the criminal’s license plate will get picked up.

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"Even a criminal who might be wanted by a plate, associated with a plate, maybe from Miami-Dade County, who could be roaming this area and may have committed a crime here, that car is potentially traceable and law enforcement could intervene."

Melrose Action has already raised more than $27,000 for the technology, but they continue to fundraise.

The community group is dedicated to help fight crime in their neighborhood.

"This is a world-famous destination; we want to make it safe for everybody," Nicholas stated.

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