The solar-powered, rear license plate readers will be installed in 10 locations on the outskirts of the township by early spring, said Lt. Michael Nutt, who oversees the Liberty Twp. substation.
“By having them it increases our ability to find vehicles involved in crimes. We’re looking for license plates and vehicles. That’s it. That’s all it (cameras) can do,’’ Nutt said.
“We were at a slight disadvantage if a crime was committed in Liberty (and) the vehicle never left Liberty, we didn’t have the advantage of being able to see (the vehicle) on a camera because we didn’t have any here.”
As vehicles pass by, the cameras take pictures of the back license plate. The information is stored in a cloud-based database accessible to all entities using the system with their permission.
Nutt said every time a law enforcement individual accesses the database, he must enter a reason for doing so, which is logged and tracked.
“The system can only be used for investigational purposes,” Nutt said, adding audits will be done to ensure that the system is not used for personal reasons.
An alert is sent out if a vehicle registered to someone with a felony warrant, stolen vehicle, or other infraction, would enter the township. Agencies would also be alerted if a vehicle involved in an Amber (child) or silver (senior citizen) alert passes a camera.
Participating jurisdictions can also search the database to see if a vehicle involved in a crime is nearby. Police can also enter data about a vehicle to alert other agencies.
Multiple bordering jurisdictions have the cameras, which allow law enforcement personnel to search Flock’s national database. Footage is deleted every 30 days.
“It’s a huge sharing network. Everybody’s really good about sharing access,” Nutt said. “It will benefit other jurisdictions as well. If other people come through our jurisdiction their license plates will be captured on camera.
According to Flock, the cameras as used in more than 5,000 police jurisdictions nationwide, and on average, assist in solving 2,800 crimes weekly.
“It’s probably one of the top five better tools we’ve had in law enforcement in a long time,” Nutt said.
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