License Plate Recognition Camera Installation Begins

Installation of Flock Safety license plate recognition camera began this week. In total, 12 cameras will be installed at entry points to North Liberty. This technology was approved by the North Liberty City Council unanimously as part of the annual budget.

According to the service provider, these cameras send a real-time alert to law enforcement when a stolen car or known wanted suspect from a state or national crime database is detected. They also send alerts if a vehicle associated with a missing person in an AMBER or Silver Alert is detected. Flock Safety cameras are in use in more than 5,000 communities across the country, and the company works with over 3,000 police departments, according to Flock Safety. Flock Safety is in use in the Des Moines metro area, and locally at the University of Iowa.

While the cameras are being installed, the North Liberty Police Department will not begin receiving alerts before it has approved a policy for their use and command staff and officers have been trained in the system for the use and for the internal reporting of all Flock alerts and the outcome.

Flock Safety cameras capture license plates and vehicle characteristics, not people or faces, the company says, and each search requires a justification; the data is never sold or shared with third parties and deleted within 30 days.  These cameras are not traffic enforcement devices and do not detect speed or red-light violations.  They will report a violation, much like an eyewitness, to dispatch and the officer may be able to locate the vehicle or provide information to another jurisdiction if the flagged vehicle or license plate is entering their jurisdiction.