A growing network of surveillance cameras is helping Fort Worth police stop crime by scanning license plates and sending information about possible criminals to police in real time.
The Flock camera system started as a company providing private video security in neighborhoods, but now police nationwide are using the cameras for a specific purpose: scanning license plates.
“We now work with over 2,500 cities across the country. The majority of those are law enforcement agencies, and they are reporting to us that they are solving somewhere between 700 and 900 crimes every single day with the use of this technology,” said Flock Safety’s vice president of external communications, Josh Thomas.
The security system works by capturing images of vehicles and connecting them to a license plate reader. If the scanned license plate is linked to a crime, police are notified in real-time.
The Fort Worth Police Department told The Dallas Express that it has 72 Flock cameras throughout its neighborhoods. There may be more privately owned Flock cameras in Fort Worth, but the City began installing its cameras in the first half of last year.
The department could not provide the exact total cost but said it had spent more than $103,000 on the cameras.
Fort Worth PD has used the information from the cameras to track down multiple alleged criminals in recent weeks alone.
On August 30, Fort Worth PD received an alert from the Flock system about a stolen car. When officers tried to pull over the vehicle, it took off.
During the chase, a passenger in the car fired a shotgun at officers from the window. Eventually, the vehicle crashed at an intersection in Haltom City, and the passenger was arrested.
The arrestee was wanted on three previous charges.
“Flock cameras are cameras we have been able to place in certain high traffic areas throughout the city that will notify officers if it detects a license plate where either a wanted felon is involved, in that vehicle in some way, if the vehicle was stolen, not for minor offenses, but major offenses like this,” said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes after the August 30 chase. “The technology has been a game changer. This is a perfect example of that.”
Fort Worth PD also used the security system in the early August arrest of a man who allegedly used a drone to try to drop off drugs and electronics at the federal medical prison in Fort Worth.
Law enforcement found Flock surveillance video that showed the suspect with the drone and his red SUV, but the cameras did not capture the license plate.
“Once they used our devices to identify that key piece of information that really unlocked the case for them to go find that suspect vehicle, find additional pieces of evidence and ultimately make an arrest,” said Thomas.
As for people concerned about privacy and creating a “surveillance state,” the cameras only take pictures of license plates – not drivers.
“It’s very important to understand that these cameras are obtaining vehicle descriptions and license plates, but they are not identifying people. There is no facial recognition. In fact, there is no personal identifying information within Flock,” said Thomas.