Ten intersections in Richmond could soon have cameras that capture licence plates, faces and pedestrians.
Richmond city council asked staff to look into the cost of placing cameras at intersections in order to help police investigations.
Richmond already has cameras at more than 100 intersections, but these are low-resolution cameras that don’t capture faces and licence plates, as directed by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC). They are largely used for traffic management and data analysis.
About a year ago, Coun. Kash Heed asked city staff to explore whether the current cameras could be enhanced to provide higher-quality video to help police in their investigations.
The conclusion, however, was the current cameras would have to be replaced as they can't just be turned to a higher-resolution setting.
The new intersection cameras, if approved by city council, would only be used by law enforcement and for evidence to support prosecutions, a city staff report to council notes.
“The system will not be actively monitored in real time, and video footage retrieval will only be accessible through a production or Court order, ensuring that access is tightly controlled and legally justified,” the report continues.
It will operate on its own network to "prevent cyberattacks and unauthorized access."
City staff say phase one, installing cameras at 10 intersections, would cost about $2.5 million and have an annual operating budget of about $180,000.
Putting cameras across the city would cost about $16 million, city staff noted.
The intersection camera item is on the agenda for next Monday’s committee meeting.
The intersections proposed by the RCMP for phase one are considered “major entry and exit routes” between Richmond, Sea Island, the Knight Street Bridge and the George Massey Tunnel.
These intersections are:
1. No. 5 Road & Steveston Highway
2. Shell Road & Steveston Highway
3. No. 5 Road & 10700 Block
4. No. 5 Road & Horseshoe Way
5. Garden City Road & Sea Island Way
6. Great Canadian Way & Bridgeport Road
7. Knight Street & Westminster Highway
8. No. 6 Road & Westminster Highway
9. Jacombs Road & Westminster Highway
10. Gilbert Road & River Road
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