Flock Safety cameras are live in Willowick
Oct. 29—Three Flock Safety cameras were installed within Willowick earlier this month and are now live.
The cameras, which went live Oct. 6, are License Plate Recognition cameras and are only used to detect stolen vehicles, warrants or anything officers would need to be alerted to, according to Police Chief Brian Turner. They are not speed cameras or used for any type of traffic enforcement.
All alerts will go directly into dispatch and to the officers' cellphones.
According to Flock Safety, their proprietary devices and cloud-based software reduce crime by up to 70%. The technology system gives police the ability to not only identify stolen vehicles but those owned by people wanted on felony warrants.
The cloud-based database of images the cameras capture can also be searched for vehicles with specific license plate numbers across multiple communities, as well as assist with missing persons cases and in Amber Alert investigations.
Turner stated that most of the western end of Lake County currently has the cameras. Last year, the Willoughby Hills Police Department went live with the Flock Safety system and shortly made an arrest on an individual wanted as a suspect in a violent felony.
The Willoughby Hills department began speaking with Flock representatives for the better part of last year after hearing success stories from many law enforcement agencies across Northeast Ohio, according to that that city's police chief, Matthew Naegele.
"If we can help cut down time on investigations and have additional eyes on the road 24/7, then I consider that a win," he previously told The News-Herald. "If I can provide a tool that is going to help our officers be more efficient and effective in criminal investigations, while at the same time provide some peace of mind for our residents and business owners, it is an easy decision."
The system isn't limited to the National Crime Information Center's database. Police are also able to search the system's database of images for general descriptions of vehicles. It will then return images that match the search parameters, along with dates, times and locations where the images were taken.
The images are saved for 30 days.
