Naples to add 54 license-plate reader cameras citywide

Fifty-four new automated license-plate recognition cameras will be installed throughout the city of Naples, adding to more than 100 already in use.

City Council unanimously voted to amend its agreement with Motorola Solutions Inc. to purchase 54 Vigilant automated license-plate recognition cameras, along with installation, licensing and a four-year extended warranty that includes five years of service and support, at a cost of $1.6 million. The amendment also covers support for 25 cameras the city purchased last year.

The purchase is made through a piggyback contract with Collier County but includes additional terms required by the city. In a memo to Council, Police Chief Ciro Dominguez said the Vigilant LPR cameras are widely used by law enforcement agencies nationwide, allowing for consistency and seamless sharing of investigative data.

In September, Council accepted a $100,000 donation from The Moorings Property Owners Association to cover the purchase and installation of cameras and five years of operating costs. Those cameras were installed at two entry points to the island portion of Gulf Shore Boulevard North, leading into the 1,300-acre neighborhood with about 4,000 homes. Royal Harbor also installed its own cameras.

Naples, which spans 16.4 square miles, began installing license-plate recognition cameras in 2015 to continuously monitor vehicles entering and leaving the city. Collier County and Marco Island also use the technology. The cameras use computer algorithms to convert license-plate images into computer-readable data.

State law prohibits law enforcement agencies from using the cameras to issue traffic citations or violations. Instead, license plates are checked against databases for violations, warrants and other alerts, allowing officers to screen thousands of vehicles quickly. By law, the data may be retained for up to three years before being destroyed.

Police have declined to specify the total number of cameras citywide, citing a security exemption under state law. Marco Island has three cameras positioned on the two bridges leading onto the island — the Judge S.S. Jolley Bridge and the Stan Gober Memorial Bridge, formerly known as the Goodland Bridge — while the Collier County Sheriff’s Office operates at least 127 cameras countywide.