NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The City of Newport News is leveraging new artificial intelligence technology to enforce city ordinances and encourage residents to be good neighbors.
Harold Roach, the city’s compliance officer, showed News 3 the pickup truck that will be on the road in the future. The city calls this the “Good Neighbor Patrol Vehicle.” A camera is mounted on the top of the truck, and AI software helps the department spot violations of laws in public places.
“This program stems from concerns raised by members of the Newport News community,” Roach said.
The initiative builds on a 2024 city survey in which neighbors raised concerns about the property’s condition.
“We are concerned about the condition of structures, broken windows, peeling paint, leaking roofs, etc., but we also capture things like stuck vehicles, tall grass, and yard debris,” Roach said.
The ministry is still finalizing how the program will work and no notification has been issued so far. If the technology finds a violation, the property owner will be notified and given time to fix the problem. In the worst case scenario, the owner may be issued a court summons.
“The camera system is just a way to maximize coverage across the city,” Roach said.
The trucks will be out five days a week and can cover the entire city in about six to eight weeks.
The city has been trying to spread awareness about the truck on social media, and some residents have responded by comparing it to homeowner association enforcement. But Roach said the program is aimed at improving people’s quality of life.
“We don’t have enough people to drive every street in Newport News,” he said. “With this technology, we’ll be able to survey that landscape, understand what’s out there and prioritize the work of our staff,” Roach said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and translated on this platform with the help of AI. Our editorial team verifies the fairness and accuracy of all reporting across all platforms.
