New cameras helping Floyd County, Georgetown track down stolen vehicles
Jul. 13—FLOYD COUNTY — The occupants of a truck reported stolen out of Indianapolis might have passed through Floyd County undetected Tuesday had it not been for a new surveillance system.
Joining multiple police agencies in Clark County and across the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Kentucky, the Floyd County Sheriff's Department and the Georgetown Police Department are using Flock Safety security cameras.
The Georgetown Town Council approved the purchase of two cameras. Floyd County Sheriff Frank Loop and Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane used discretionary funds to buy six cameras, which cost about $2,500 each. The cameras were brought online about a month ago.
The cameras identify license plate numbers. If a license plate number has been entered into the National Crime Information Center database connecting it to a potential crime, authorities using the system are notified when a vehicle with the plate is caught on a Flock camera in their jurisdiction.
The cameras are touted as a particularly effective tool when it comes to tracking down stolen vehicles.
On Tuesday, Loop said he was notified by dispatch that a camera installed near the casino on Indiana 111 had captured the image of a license plate associated with a stolen vehicle. Loop responded, finding the truck stopped on Indiana 111 as a train passed through. Loop pulled the driver of the vehicle over and arrested him and the passenger.
"I think this is going to open up the eyes of all the people about how much crime is going on out in the county that we didn't know about," Loop said Wednesday. "Otherwise, yesterday, I would have turned the other way, went and had my lunch, and would have never known there was a stolen vehicle coming out of the casino."
A rise in vehicle break-ins and auto thefts led Lane and Loop to pursue purchasing Flock cameras. Georgetown Police Chief Travis Speece said the town has also had problems with vehicle break-ins, which led officials to want to participate in the joint venture.
"The thing I like about this system is this partnership where we're better able to protect the citizens of New Albany," Lane said, as he added not only will the cameras help authorities trace vehicles associated with crimes that occurred locally, but they will also alert police when criminals enter Southern Indiana from other areas.
"That's why we take this so seriously and that's why I'm so glad we have this system, because people who are driving stolen cars generally are committing other crimes."
Flock cameras have led to four instances in which people have been arrested in Floyd County over the past month, and in two cases, they were also found in possession of illegal drugs, Lane said.
If information has been entered into the national database, the cameras can also assist in other cases such as abductions. If local authorities are searching for someone and they know their vehicle information, they can use the cameras to find out if they've passed through certain locations, Loop said.
Lane, Speece and Loop emphasized the cameras only detect license plate and vehicle information.
"They're not taking pictures of drivers operating vehicles," Speece said.
He also clarified that the cameras aren't used in traffic enforcement.
"We're not using these cameras to write tickets. That's not what they're for at all," Speece said.
In Indiana, cameras can't be used for issuing tickets. Law enforcement must be able to identify the driver of the vehicle before issuing a citation.
Along with the two cameras in Georgetown, Flock systems have been placed on Indiana 111 near the casino, Paoli Pike, near the Sherman Minton Bridge, U.S. 150 near Highlander Point and Brown's Station Way.
The New Albany Police Department isn't on the Flock system, though Loop said the sheriff's office will alert NAPD if a hit on a vehicle entering the city is received.
Between Southern Indiana and the Louisville area, Lopp said there are about 200 Flock cameras in use. He supports the addition of more in Floyd County.
Lane said the cameras have been used nationwide and their images successfully used in court proceedings.
"It gives us information that we didn't have before so we can intercept those people who have nefarious designs in our community like breaking into cars," Lane said. "We can't eliminate it completely, but if we can stop those people before they get over here, or they come over here before they can harm our citizens, that's the intent of this."