BATON ROUGE — A foundation that aims to increase public safety in Baton Rouge said Thursday that it saw significant progress in 2024 because of its recent investments in technology and is hopeful for a more successful 2025.

The Page/Rice Public Safety Initiative included spending $300,000 for hardware and software used by the Baton Rouge Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office. The funding helped pay for 88 anti-crime cameras in the parish, the Baton Rouge Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Foundation said.

The foundation also said artificial intelligence software known as "ZeroEyes" is present on 25 cameras. It can detect firearms within seconds of them bring brandished in the camera's view, the foundation said.

The Page/Rice initiative is named for Devin Page, Jr., who was killed by a stray bullet in his home in the Fairfields neighborhood, and Allie Rice, who was shot to death in her car at the Government Street railroad crossing.

The foundation said it will spend more than $200,000 during 2025 to place high-speed license plate readers along the city's interstate highways.

The foundation proposes to change its name to reflect a statewide approach to crime. It said that in November it added the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office to the coalition.