Galesburg Police recently completed the installment of a vehicle license plate reader camera system the department says will assist in solving and preventing crime.
Five Flock Falcon cameras have been placed at locations where vehicles enter and exit the city, according to Galesburg Police Chief Russ Idle.
Idle tells WGIL the cameras already have proven effective.
“We have made numerous criminal arrests already in the first couple of weeks,” Idle said. “The cameras also assisted with locating a stolen vehicle as well as a shooting suspect.”
Galesburg aldermen voted 5-2 in December to approve the purchase the five Flock Safety Falcon cameras at a cost of $19,750.00. Council members Dwight White and Sarah Davis opposed the cameras.
The company describes the Flock Safety Falcon product as an infrastructure-free license plate reader camera that utilizes Vehicle Fingerprint® technology to capture vehicular attributes.
The cameras are used to document license plates on vehicles that pass by the fixed camera. The plate numbers are stored in a computer system for 30 days and then deleted. Any data flagged as necessary for an active criminal investigation may be manually retained.
LPR camera data is used to locate and identify vehicles used in the commission of crimes. They also give real time alerts on stolen vehicles and vehicles associated with criminal activity.
Idle said data from vehicles not identified as being used in criminal activity is not accessed.
“The officers were trained on how to properly use the software for the cameras as well as the relevant laws and policies related to their use,” he said.
There are numerous agencies in the region and across the country that utilize Flock LPR systems. These agencies have the ability to share data and camera access to increase the coverage area of the system. Some agencies currently using Flock include Peoria, Moline and Quincy.
