Rancho Cordova deploys AI cameras to find code violations across the city

Many 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.

"It's been a huge resource for us," Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Services Director Russell Ducharme Jr. said.

Code enforcement officers are driving through the city with AI-enabled cameras mounted on their vehicles, recording images as they travel.

"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.

The system is trained to identify potential code enforcement violations and flags about 1,200 issues a month, according to the city.

"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.

The technology comes from a company called City Detect.

AI scans the camera feed and marks potential violations, which are then sent to code enforcement officers for review.

"We want a human in the loop," Ducharme said. "We want our officers to be able to use their discretion and make good calls."

Before the cameras were introduced, Ducharme said code enforcement officers could visually review each property only about twice a year.

Now, he said the system can cover the city's roughly 26,000 properties in a month.

"Twenty-six thousand properties here in the city we can do in a month," Ducharme said.

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.

"We are very, very respectful of people's privacy. We are not overreaching," Ducharme said. "All of our officers go through specific training."

When officers confirm a violation, the property owner is sent a warning letter and given time to address the problem before citations are issued.

"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."

City leaders are also considering increasing code enforcement fines.

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.

"When it hits their pocketbook, they understand what the expectations and standards are," Ducharme said.

Rancho Cordova is also exploring whether the cameras could be used to monitor pavement conditions and identify potholes on city streets.