neighborhood

His desire to shed light on the proliferation of license plate readers in his neighborhood in Huntsville, Ala., this year spurred an idea for a crowdsourced database where people across the world can upload the locations of the readers.

Freeman’s idea for greater technological transparency started with a handful of waterproof pages he posted around his Alabama neighborhood.

A Southern California homeowners association pooled its resources and welcomed the installation of license plate readers in their neighborhood to deter crime.

The city apologized for its actions surrounding the displacement of the neighborhood in 2021, and discussions regarding reparations have continued for several years.

In 2003, during his previous stint with the LAPD, McDonnell helped clean up the park, but he concedes it’s in “pretty desperate straits” today, calling it “a magnet for activity that has been detrimental to the neighborhood.”