RICHMOND, CA — Last year, residents complained that city street sweepers often failed to follow their routes. City officials attached global-positioning satellite trackers to them and the problem improved, according to the Contra Costa Times newspaper on August 18. This year, Richmond faces budget cuts and understaffing at the police department, which can't easily spare an officer to ticket illegally parked cars that clutter the path of the GPS-enabled sweepers. The solution: sweeper-cameras to help enforce parking rules. "We're going to put a video recorder on one and see whether we can use it for parking enforcement," acting Police Chief Charles Bennett said. "It just doesn't make sense to have an officer or police assistant follow the sweepers around, writing tickets as they go." If trials this fall prove successful, Richmond will become only the second California city to mount video cameras on street sweepers. In coming months, when a Richmond sweeper encounters a parked car blocking its route, the operator will flick on the camera to record the license plate and the infraction in progress, as well as the time and location. Later, police will review recordings and mail $36 tickets to car owners. Bennett says his plan, though unconventional, will generate consistent revenue for the cash-strapped city. City officials don't know how much revenue or how many tickets sweeper-cams would generate, but expect to learn more after the one-sweeper test. If the camera performs as Bennett expects, the police department will spend about $20,000 to outfit all five city sweepers with higher-quality cameras. Operators will not record continuously and will only document parking infractions, Bennett added. The sweepers will only record on blocks with signs warning motorists of their schedule. Few issues have enflamed Richmond residents in recent years more than street sweepers. Upset residents have packed city council meetings and City Hall phone lines over poor service, lack of service, parking tickets for violating sweeper zones, a lack of parking tickets for scofflaws and, above all, the hated sweeper-schedule signs. Some neighborhoods contested posting signs warning car owners of the sweeping schedule As a result, Carriage Hills, Richmond Annex, and Richmore Village opted out. Public Works Director Rich McCoy sees potential in sweeper-cams. Just as last year's satellite tracking system add-on helped resolve many complaints about absent sweepers, cameras could combat another common complaint: poor steering. "Right now, the proposal is to hang the camera right over the edge on the right of the sweeper," McCoy said. "If you say your car was dinged by a passing sweeper, this is recorded evidence" of whether it did. Richmond's interest in sweeper-cams follows a path first blazed by the Los Angeles County city of Palmdale. That city installed dashboard cameras in its four sweepers a year ago. In addition to sweeping, they also help city workers inspect curbs, gutters, sidewalks, trees and other publicly maintained roadside features. "We really haven't had any major problems with them," Palmdale street maintenance supervisor Bruce Roadhouse said. "The sweeper will sometimes vibrate the camera, and sometimes dust obscures the view. But that's about it."