REHOBOTH BEACH, DE — Rehoboth Beach has installed four AI-powered license plate-reading cameras at key points around town in an effort to better assist law enforcement in identifying vehicles involved in criminal activity.
The cameras, manufactured by Flock Safety, have been active for about a month. They are capable of identifying a vehicle’s make, model, color and license plate number. Police say the goal is not to monitor traffic but to support ongoing investigations and improve efficiency.
“It really has [helped]; it’s helped us identify a couple hit-and-run accidents,” said Police Chief Keith Banks. “We had a description of a vehicle, so we were able to sit down, check our cameras, get a tag on that, and be able to solve those cases.”
Banks said the department previously struggled to track down suspects with vague descriptions, partial tags, and the amount of people coming and going. He says this will be another tool to alleviate that issue.
“It’s always been disheartening to me when we’ve had accidents, like I said, from hit-and-runs, and we get a description, maybe a partial tag, and we don’t have any tools to work here to be able to solve those cases,” Banks said.
He says the system is not used for 24/7 surveillance but as a resource when incidents occur.
“We’re not just sitting there monitoring,” he said. “Any time we get a hit on a stolen vehicle or something like that, we have to verify and investigate.”
But not all residents support the cameras. Some are concerned about the lack of public input before their installation and question the need for such technology in the beach town.
“For the decision to install this level of surveillance, basically, without it going to the city council and without having public input, I think it’s not transparent,” said Laura Hanson Reynolds, a local resident. “And, you know, getting the pulse of people who live here on whether that’s a good expenditure of city funds.”
Reynolds also raised doubts about the cameras’ effectiveness, and says places like the boardwalk should be the focus.
“What’s on the boardwalk, right? So what good does it do to know this car just drove out of town, over the bridge? What are we accomplishing with that?” she said.
The four cameras are located at entrances and exits of Rehoboth Beach. Two are on Rehoboth Avenue, one on Bayard Avenue, and another on State Road.