Retired Parlier officer pitches mobile AI cameras to city; chief supports pilot

John Piero, a retired Parlier Police Department officer who now operates a private security firm, presented a mobile camera system with artificial-intelligence features during public comment at the Feb. 1 Parlier City Council meeting.

Piero described a device that captures faces and license plates and can notify a user when a known face or plate is seen: “It is a camera system with artificial intelligence,” he said. He told the council he had obtained licenses to operate similar systems in nearby cities and offered to bring equipment for a week-long test and to supply hard data on calls for service and crime statistics.

The city’s police chief described the city’s existing video efforts as an “enormous tool,” saying cameras have been instrumental in solving crimes and deterring criminal activity where signage and 24-hour surveillance are used. The chief suggested the department has rented mobile cameras in the past for hot-spot areas and identified roughly seven priority locations where mobile units might be deployed.

Council members asked for cost and operational details and encouraged Piero to coordinate with the chief. Piero said his company’s event‑security guards charge about $30 per hour and that he would provide “hard numbers” regarding calls for service and arrests in other jurisdictions that use similar technology.

Council did not act to adopt procurement or pilot rules at the meeting; instead members asked staff and the police chief to meet with Piero and return any proposal or demonstration for council review.