ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police and city officials are still looking for ways to improve safety in downtown.
The Orlando Police Department is expected to go to Monday’s city commission meeting to ask for permission to purchase license plate readers (LPRs) for select garages and at least one parking lot.
Violent crime in recent years in downtown Orlando has prompted the city to make changes in the name of safety, such as the 2023 ordinance requiring special permits to sell alcohol after midnight.
In the wake of the Halloween mass shooting that left two dead and eight others injured, the city also began to reopen Orange Avenue to traffic at night in order to curb the so-called “street party atmosphere.”
[WATCH: Families announce lawsuit against city after Halloween mass shooting in Orlando]
Now, the city’s next move could be LPRs at the entrances and exits of select parking garages and a parking lot downtown.
Other Central Florida cities and law-enforcement agencies have purchased LPRs. Ocoee expanded its LPR program back in April to enhance public safety while agencies such as the University of Central Florida Police Department have reported success with LPRs in years past.
Back in 2020, UCF police told News 6 Anchor Erik Von Ancken that their LPRs were “the best and only tool” that helped them investigate a break-in at an on-campus computer store where $21,000 worth of merchandise was allegedly stolen.
[REPORT: UCF license plate readers stopping threats to campus, busting bands of burglars]
While it’s unclear which garages or what parking lot would get the new LPRs in downtown Orlando, the purchase (if approved) could come out to around $148,981, according to the meeting’s agenda.