HOT SPRINGS – In his Public Safety Committee update during last Monday night’s March 18 council meeting, Hot Springs Ward 2 Alderman Bill Lukens informedthecouncilthatthecommittee had decided to move forward in a partnership with the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to install a License Plate Reader (LPR) camera somewhere within the city. He said the camera would come at no cost to the city but that all local law enforcement would benefit from its use.
After informing the council of the committee’s intent to allow DCI to install the camera, fellow Ward 2 Alderman Travis Orback expressed concern about camera’s installation which turned into a near 25-minute discussion which included his questioning of how a committee had the authority to make decisions on behalf of the city.
In his description of the camera, Lukens said the basic purpose of LPR technology is aimed to address violent crimes and felonies, including such things as murders, kidnappings, human trafficking, drug trafficking, Amber alert child abductions and stolen vehicles.
“The LPR cameras are designed to recognize license plates only,” Lukens said. “They do not identify speeding violations, stop sign violations, nor is it used for facial recognition. It does not identify registered owners of vehicles.”
Lukens went on to say that access to this technology is controlled by strong policies and procedures of DCI and will only be utilized when a crime has occurred. The camera in Hot Springs would be part of a statewide effort by DCI and is something the city’s Public Safety Committee has been considering purchasing on their own for two to three years.
Orback then asked, “So the Public Safety can go ahead and say ‘yes’ and put it in?”
Lukens answered by saying that the equipment is DCI’s and the city is just allowing them the real estate to put it in. He then went on to describe a scenario in which the technology could efficiently aid in locating a known license plate involved an abduction. He also said that Rapid City has used the cameras to locate about 50 stolen vehicles just in the last 1-2 years.
Orback’s primary concerns about the cameras were not on their effectiveness in crime solving but pertaining to a citizen’s right to privacy and also how a committee can speak on behalf of the entire city.
“Your license plate does not have an expectation of privacy,” responded Lukens, as he also described how the topic was brought up with the city’s attorney who had advised them that it was OK to proceed with allowing DCI access to an installation point.
Lukens went on to say that since the agreement to provide DCI a location to place their camera in the city is not considered a “contract,” there is nothing statutorily that requires the city council to take a formal action.
Mayor Bob Nelson then asked the city’s team of three attorneys in attendance to comment on the topic. One of the attorneys, Cole Romey, said allowing DCI to place a camera in Hot Springs for their expressed purposes of the camera would be within the rights of the city.
Acknowledging at least one council member’s concerns about the implementation of the camera without the council’s full input, Mayor Nelson said he would support having the topic brought up as an agenda item during an upcoming council meeting. He said doing so would be in line with the Municipal League’s recommendations in regards to Open Meeting Laws and committee actions. Both Orback and Councilman Larry Pratt also requested to have DCI give a presentation about the LPR to the full council.
In other action near the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Nelson read a proclamation entitled “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day,” which was also signed by all eight of the city council members. The twopage document acknowledged the fact that the U.S. veterans of the war from 1965 to 1975 returned home and were caught in a crossfire of public debate.
“It was the first time in history America failed to welcome its veterans back as heroes,” the proclamation stated.
The proclamation then went ontosaythattheestablishment of “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” on March 29, 2024, by the Hot Springs City Council is an appropriate way to honor the contribution of those members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in Vietnam.
After reading the proclamation, Mayor Nelson then went around and shook the hands of the Vietnam veterans in attendance at the meeting.
Following the proclamation, audience member Dustin Kleinsasser, who is also a member of the Tom and Anne McColley Vision Fund, reported to the council that the fund committee received six or seven applications and selected two recipients for a total of $4,500. He said $2,000 will be going to the Cultural Development Organization to help with the completion of the mural along the north side of the viaduct, and $2,500 will be going to the World Fossil Finder Museum to help with the construction of an outdoor educational area.
In other business, the council approved revisions to a Parks & Recreation ordinance in regards to restrictions on animals, adding language that reads “on a public sidewalk or street” to further describe places within the city where animals must be under the control of its owner. Previously, the only wording specifically stated was “in a park or recreation area.”
The council also approved two resolutions, with the first one assigning a pair of debts as uncollectible. The first was $52,838.43 for Hot Springs Citizens for Progress and the second was $6,725 for Shara Shaw. The other resolution approved by the council was an amendment to the rates charged for the “emergency” digging of cemetery graves, in the event the city’s contracted digger is not available. Those emergency-only rates include $513 for Opening & Closing of Cremains Grave (was $375) and $838 for Opening & Closing of Adult Grave (was $675).