West University Place City Council unanimously approved the final acceptance of the Virtual Gate Project, a $4.5 million security camera and license plate recognition system that has been installed around the city.
Council approved the project at a May 23 meeting, but officials first proposed the security camera system in 2017 as a crime deterrent, Police Chief Ken Walker said.
Installation of Virtual Gate began in 2019, and by the end of that year, the city’s police department used the system on Buffalo Speedway at Bissonnet Street, and at Holcombe Boulevard at Belmont Street, Walker said.
Phase 2 of the project began in 2021 and now covers a total of 40 intersections.
