ALTON - Many residents of the Riverbend are concerned with privacy following the Alton Police Department's announcement it is looking into placing license-plate-reading (LPR) cameras on the Clark Bridge.
To alleviate these concerns, Alton Police Chief Jason "Jake" Simmons alerted Riverbender.com to a public meeting to be held regarding this possibility at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the police station. Concerned citizens are invited to share their opinions, ask questions and contribute to the overall conversation. Simmons said that day and time were chosen in an effort to allow people to attend who would otherwise be working.
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In former interviews with Riverbender.com, Simmons said the LPR cameras would be able to scan every license plate of every vehicle crossing the Clark Bridge. If that vehicle has been reported stolen or has an active warrant, an alert would be sent to the Illinois State Police as well as the Alton Police Department for action.
Simmons said the camera system would be next to impossible to hack, and assured multiple times through multiple mediums and interfaces both on and off the record the cameras would be in no way used to catch speeder or other traffic infringements, which was a concern of many who heard the cameras may be coming to the bridge.
When asked about the need of the cameras, Simmons used recent cases in the Village of Godfrey involving potentially violent carjackings as well as the local heroin epidemic Simmons said is caused by an influx of people coming from North St. Louis County. The Alton Police Department wanted this several years ago, but the money was not readily available. This time, however, the Village of Godfrey agreed to share a portion of the cost.
The meeting is open to the general public.
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