To address what they say is safety and proactive policing activities, the Nevada City City Council has authorized the funding and installation of security cameras around town. It’s a two-year maintenance agreement for six cameras worth over 40-thousand dollars. Funding comes from Proposition 64, passed by state voters in 2016. It legalized recreational marijuana use, but also dedicated money to reduce criminal justice costs. Police Chief Dan Foss told the Council that no specific locations have been selected for the cameras yet. But likely spots include Pioneer Park, the Commercial Street parking lot, downtown, and the Seven Hills District…

click to listen to Chief Foss

Foss said the cameras don’t utilize facial recognition or license plate reading, or any form of artificial intelligence identification. City Councilmembers, including Gary Peterson, also mentioned that there’s now more trust, with new city department leadership, that the cameras will be monitored and used responsibly by police…

click to listen to Gary Peterson

But the Council also wanted updates on the effectiveness of the cameras every six months, instead of at the end of the two-year grant cycle. There’s no installation timeline yet.