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<\/p>\nMany code enforcement violations can go unnoticed until someone files a complaint. Rancho Cordova is now using artificial intelligence to help spot potential problems across the city.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a huge resource for us,” Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Services Director Russell Ducharme Jr. said.<\/p>\n
Code enforcement officers are driving through the city with AI-enabled cameras mounted on their vehicles, recording images as they travel.<\/p>\n
“It’s videoing as the car is moving, so you can go up to 40 miles an hour and it’s taking in the data,” Ducharme said.<\/p>\n
The system is trained to identify potential code enforcement violations and flags about 1,200 issues a month, according to the city.<\/p>\n
“Overgrown lawn, junk and debris in the public view, parking on dirt, landscaping violations, boarded-up windows, illegal dumping that’s on a sidewalk,” Ducharme said.<\/p>\n
The technology comes from a company called City Detect.<\/p>\n
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The vehicle-mounted, AI-powered code enforcement camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI scans the camera feed and marks potential violations, which are then sent to code enforcement officers for review.<\/p>\n
“We want a human in the loop,” Ducharme said. “We want our officers to be able to use their discretion and make good calls.”<\/p>\n
Before the cameras were introduced, Ducharme said code enforcement officers could visually review each property only about twice a year.<\/p>\n
Now, he said the system can cover the city’s roughly 26,000 properties in a month.<\/p>\n
“Twenty-six thousand properties here in the city we can do in a month,” Ducharme said.<\/p>\n
The use of cameras to inspect properties could raise privacy concerns, but city officials say protections are in place and officers are trained on how the technology should be used.<\/p>\n
“We are very, very respectful of people’s privacy. We are not overreaching,” Ducharme said. “All of our officers go through specific training.”<\/p>\n
When officers confirm a violation, the property owner is sent a warning letter and given time to address the problem before citations are issued.<\/p>\n
“This isn’t a money grab,” Ducharme said. “We’re not using it to issue admin cites every single time we get a reading back.”<\/p>\n
City leaders are also considering increasing code enforcement fines.<\/p>\n
A first violation currently carries a $100 fine. Under the proposal, that would increase to $250, with fines of up to $1,000 for repeat violations.<\/p>\n
“When it hits their pocketbook, they understand what the expectations and standards are,” Ducharme said.<\/p>\n
Rancho Cordova is also exploring whether the cameras could be used to monitor pavement conditions and identify potholes on city streets.<\/p>\n
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