EAST LANSING, Mich — East Lansing is moving forward with a solar-powered camera system designed to catch drivers parking illegally in no-parking zones.
WATCH BELOW: East Lansing to roll out solar-powered cameras to catch illegal parking
The city is working with Municipal Parking Services on the program, which uses devices called "Safety Sticks." East Lansing Police Capt. Adrian Ojerio said the cameras will be placed in no-parking zones around the city, targeting areas with repeated violations.
How the system works
"Safety Sticks are a solar-powered camera system that reads license plates of vehicles only when a violation is detected," Capt. Ojerio said.
When a vehicle is parked in a no-parking zone for longer than 90 seconds, the device photographs the license plate. The image is then reviewed by both Municipal Parking Services and East Lansing parking enforcement. If confirmed, a citation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
"To verify that the violation captured is worthy of an actual citation," Capt. Ojerio said.
Pilot program results
The city ran a pilot program in April, placing seven Safety Sticks in downtown hotspots. In that one month, the system identified 1,347 violations. No citations were issued during the pilot period.
Capt. Ojerio said illegal parking is a recurring concern in the city.
"We have a lot of traffic backups and people that like to park along the corner here," he said.
Rollout timeline
The East Lansing City Council voted Tuesday to move forward with the project. Capt. Ojerio said it will be at least 60 days before the system is fully operational and citations begin to be issued. He said the city will provide additional notice before enforcement starts.
Michael Guel, who was in downtown East Lansing on Wednesday, said the cameras would discourage him from parking in restricted areas.
"It's a deterrent on its own, just knowing that there are cameras there," Guel said.
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