The Blue Springs Police Department announced this week it completed installation of 24 Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras throughout the City to assist officers in solving and reducing crime in our community.
The cameras, built by Flock Safety are primarily focused on the City’s high-traffic and commercial areas where instances of car break-ins and shoplifting occur.
“Our number one priority is keeping our residents safe,” Police Chief Bob Muenz said. “This new camera system is an additional tool that not only helps officers solve crimes after they happen, but also deters crime before it happens.”
Flock Safety ALPR cameras send a real-time alert to police 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.
The Flock Safety system also helps law enforcement solve crime by providing objective evidence needed for investigations.
In less than a week of operation, the Flock Camera system has already assisted Blue Springs officers in solving two crimes that occurred in the City and connected one of those suspects to several other suspected crimes throughout the region.
The pilot program was approved by the Blue Springs City Council as part of its annual budget and is in conjunction with a larger camera program that installed more than six License Plater Reader Cameras throughout the City’s parks to deter crime and catch vandals.
“People should always feel safe and welcome in our parks,” Parks & Recreation Director Dennis Dovel said. “Adding License Plate Reader Cameras to our parks give us and the police the tools we need to find those individuals vandalizing our parks and hold them accountable.”
The new parks licenses plate reader cameras will add to more than 30 other cameras already in the Parks & Recreation system at various facilities and amenities.
Police and Parks staff will analyze the data and results from the 90-day Flock Pilot Program to determine if the program should expand and become a permanent tool used to keep residents safe.
Flock Safety ALPR cameras capture license plates and vehicle characteristics, not people or faces. Each search requires a justification, and the data is never sold or shared with third parties. The cameras are used to solve and reduce property and violent crime
Flock Safety cameras are in use in thousands of cities across the country, and the company works with more than 2,000 police departments. Communities using Flock Safety ALPR have reported crime reductions of up to 70%.
“At Flock Safety, we believe in building strong bonds between police departments and the citizens they pledge to protect, and we’re proud to partner with the Blue Springs Police Department to help them in the pursuit of public safety,” Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley said.
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About Flock Safety
Flock Safety is a public safety operating system that helps cities, businesses, schools, and law enforcement in thousands of communities work together to stop crime, protect privacy, and mitigate bias. We build hardware and write software that captures the objective evidence police need to solve crime. Thousands of communities across the country use our proprietary devices and cloud-based software.
Visit www.flocksafety.com for more information.