Why is Stockton the first CA city to use AI for code enforcement?

“Stockton is using artificial intelligence to combat blight and city code violations.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/using-ai-to-bolster-enforcement-during-officer-shortage

Every city has their fair share of code violations and Stockton is certainly no exception. You see it everywhere around here; wall and sidewalk graffiti on the Miracle Mile, blight in the different residential areas, and all other sorts of zoning violations and public nuisances. So what is the city of Stockton doing to combat these disruptions? Well, they are implementing artificial intelligence.

So apparently, this program will cost the city about a quarter million dollars per year to use. The idea is that vehicles distributed by the code enforcement division within the Stockton Police Department, will drive around with cameras attached to their roofs and be able to capture and recognize various forms of code violations. A test run of this software back in January was able to capture approximately 4,000 violations on 2,500 different properties, over the course of a week. 

Based on the report linked above, it sounds like there are only a dozen or so officers currently working within the code enforcement division. By establishing this new program, SPD hopes to ramp up efficiency within this division over the next couple years. 

I’ve definitely got some mixed feelings on this topic, as other Stockton residents might have as well. First things first, implementing this program is definitely cheaper than hiring more bodies. The yearly cost of this program is about the salary of 2 more officers (and 2 more cops in this role wouldn’t really improve efficiency that much). Not to mention that SPD already has an officer shortage, in general. 

On the other hand, there is something very 1984-esque (George Orwell’s) about this concept. I could foresee some Stockton residents complaining about privacy concerns and misuse of this technology. I’m also quite suspicious about why Stockton is the FIRST California city to use this. Why not San Francisco or literally anywhere else up and down the CA Peninsula? Trust me, there are definitely a plethora of code violations in those other cities. Circling back to my George Orwell reference, the use of advanced technology for law enforcement purposes has always been a creepy concept to me. It’s kind of like one day we are using AI to fine people for a dilapidated fence, and the next day we are using robot sentries to make traffic stops or kick down doors. Fascinating. 

Either way, it sounds like this program got the green light, as the Stockton City Council had recently approved the use of this AI to help assist Stockton Police. 

God bless the 209,

Producer Reese