A talk by Hunter Wages, Wages PHD. For decades, code enforcement has run on complaints, which means resources tend to flow to the neighborhoods that report the most while quieter areas go unnoticed. In this session, Dr. Hunter Wages of City Detect examines how AI and emerging technology are changing that model, moving enforcement from reactive and complaint-driven to proactive and citywide.The class explains how street-level imagery can be captured during normal daily routes, whether by fleet vehicles or inspectors going about their regular duties, and how computer vision analyzes that imagery to identify more than 100 indicators of blight, including graffiti, overgrown lawns, illegal dumping, and damaged roofs.Just as important, the session covers the human element. AI only flags potential concerns, and officers remain responsible for verifying every case in the field and through the data before any action is taken. The discussion also looks at how objective, timestamped condition data can close information gaps, support fair resource allocation and grant funding for underserved neighborhoods, and encourage an education-first approach using courtesy notices that guide residents toward voluntary compliance.Privacy safeguards are covered as well, including automatic redaction of faces and license plates and municipal-only data access. Officers will leave with a realistic understanding of what this technology can and cannot do, and how it fits into the daily work of code enforcement.
Pete currently is on the Board of Directors for the ICC Code Enforcement Chapter of Code Enforcement and the American Association of Code Enforcement.
