While the Bay Area's biggest cities are getting help from the state to stem illegal sideshows, smaller cities are maximizing their detection and enforcement efforts with the help of technology.
The Morgan Hill Police Department in the South Bay has deployed a system that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to integrate existing audio detection technology in video cameras and license plate readers.
Flock Safety's Raven system is capable of detecting screeching tires then is able to determine whether it's the brief sound of a possible crash or the sustained sound of a sideshow. Meanwhile, it notifies officers and starts gathering evidence.
"It actually triggers the cameras to capture vehicle evidence at the scene, so law enforcement can now see all of this evidence together and see their case," Flock Safety spokesperson Holly Beilen said. "So it gives them that additional situational awareness."
Because sideshow detection can be deployed in an area as small as a quarter-mile, smaller agencies like Morgan Hill police and Vallejo police can use it. It’s also in use in large departments like San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.
Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, also manufactures license plate readers and gunshot detectors.
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