Pomona Police Use AI Cameras to Curb Prostitution
The department utilizes Flock surveillance technology to monitor the Holt Avenue corridor for criminal activity.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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The Pomona Police Department has deployed a network of AI-integrated cameras along Holt Avenue to combat prostitution and human trafficking. This effort, supported by a real-time-information center launched in June 2025, uses license-plate readers to identify suspects and prevent vehicle flight.
Why it matters
The technology was implemented to address police staffing shortages and reduce sex-crime incidents in the area. City officials are currently reviewing the camera contract to ensure data privacy standards are maintained.
Pomona police recorded 313 prostitution-related arrests in 2026 as of Oct. 13, including 77 arrests under a new public indecency law adopted Sept. 3. The program utilizes 70 license-plate readers and 37 safety cameras to monitor the corridor.
The players
Pomona Police Department
This local law enforcement agency is responsible for policing the city and managing the real-time-information center and its surveillance technologies.
The details
The department identifies vehicles of suspected sex purchasers through camera data and sends warning letters to the registered owners. Data collected by the center is shared with 248 agencies, though no federal agencies are included in the sharing network.
Timeline
Prostitution arrests totaled 47 in 2024.
The department launched the real-time-information center in June 2025.
Prostitution arrests totaled 96 in 2025.
The city implemented a new public indecency law on Sept. 3, 2026.
313 prostitution-related arrests were recorded as of Oct. 13, 2026.
Legal Context
The use of automated surveillance technology to enforce local ordinances follows a trend of increasing reliance on AI in municipal policing. This program operates alongside the city's revised nudity and public indecency law to provide a framework for addressing public order.
Residents and business owners in the Holt Avenue corridor may see increased police monitoring and enforcement activity resulting from the camera network. The city's ongoing legal review of data privacy protocols is intended to address resident concerns regarding surveillance oversight.
The takeaway
The increased use of AI surveillance reflects a shift toward automated monitoring to supplement police staffing in high-traffic corridors. Residents should remain aware of local policy changes as the city balances crime prevention with ongoing data privacy reviews.
Further reading
For additional context on how local agencies utilize surveillance, read more in the Law Enforcement section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Orange County Register.
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