The Arnold Police Department is the most recent Jefferson County law enforcement agency to invest in a license plate-reading camera system produced by the Flock Group of Atlanta.
Chief Brian Carroll said Arnold Police expect the Flock Safety cameras to be installed by December.
“These cameras will allow our officers to be proactive when they receive real-time alerts on stolen vehicles and subjects who are wanted for various crimes,” he said. “The cameras will also give us alerts pertaining to missing persons and Amber alerts.
“We will also benefit from an investigative standpoint. This technology will allow us access to all Flock cameras throughout the region, and with the advanced search technology, I feel our detective bureau will see an increase in clearance rates.”
As of Oct. 20, there already were 19 Flock cameras throughout the county, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
He said the cameras are leased by public agencies and private operators, such as businesses and subdivisions.
Marshak said his department began leasing two cameras two years ago, and the Sheriff’s Office has budgeted to lease eight more cameras in 2023.
“The most successful law enforcement measures are when we prevent crimes before they happen, and with Flock, we have had success in doing just that,” Marshak said.
Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said his department reached a lease agreement with Flock in October 2021 for six cameras, and Herculaneum Police Chief Sharia Kyle said her department is leasing four cameras, which have been in operation since August.
Byrnes Mill Police Chief Frank T. Selvaggio said four cameras were installed in his department’s city on Oct. 3 and became operational on Oct. 12.
Arnold
Arnold City Council members voted unanimously Oct. 20 to enter into a two-year service agreement with the company that produces cameras designed to read vehicle license plates and alert law enforcement agencies if a warrant is attached to one of the vehicles that pass by or if one of the vehicles has been reported stolen.
Arnold will lease six cameras from the Flock Group and pay the company $17,100 to cover the installation of the cameras and one year of operating costs. The city will pay $15,000 for the system in the second year of the contract, according to council documents.
The agreement said each camera costs $2,500 per year, and there is a $350 installation fee for each camera.
Success stories
Lewis said all six of the license plate-reading cameras in Festus were not even operating before his department made its first Flock-assisted arrest.
“We recovered a stolen car out of Jefferson County, one or two days after the cameras went up. The car was detected near the intersection of Collins Drive and Veterans Boulevard,” he said. “We arrested the person in the car on Hillsboro Road. The car was recovered for the victim, and the suspect was arrested.”
Lewis said he is happy with the cameras.
“They are a wonderful tool,” he said.
Selvaggio said it took two days for Byrnes Mill Police to see a return on its investment in the cameras.
He said at about 10 a.m. Oct. 14, a car went off the road near the intersection of Lower Byrnes Mill Road and Hwy. 30, hitting a pole that one of the department’s cameras was on.
“The car then left the scene,” Selvaggio said. “The camera got a picture of the car leaving. We have a warrant out for the driver’s arrest.”
As of Oct. 21, Byrnes Mill Police had not located the driver, and the camera that was damaged in the accident had not been replaced, Selvaggio said.
Kyle said Herculaneum Police benefited from Festus having the Flock system in place before her department got its own license plate-reading cameras.
“Before we had them, we were able to use the cameras in Festus to help us solve multiple car clotting (thefts from vehicles) and stolen vehicle cases,” she said.
Marshak provided a list of 17 incidents between March 2021 and January 2022 when Sheriff’s Office personnel used Flock cameras to investigate and solve crimes.
The Sheriff’s Office has identified suspects in burglary, unlawful use of a weapon and stealing cases. The department also used the system to find a missing person, Marshak said.
“Flock alerts have notified us when stolen vehicles from St. Louis city and north St. Louis County enter targeted areas for criminal activity,” he said. “Once alerted, deputies can saturate an area and locate the vehicle or occupants who are likely into other criminal behavior. Many of those crimes are either tampering with vehicles or burglaries.”
Security vs. privacy
Carroll said the Flock cameras are not like the controversial red-light cameras that previously had been used by law enforcement agencies.
He said the cameras are not used to enforce traffic laws and do not capture images of drivers.
“The cameras are for law enforcement purposes only,” Carroll said. “We will own the data, and it will be stored for 30 days. We can’t share the data with a private entity, but we can share it with other law enforcement agencies.”
Carroll said Arnold Police are working with representatives from Flock and other entities to determine the best place to position the cameras in the city. He also said the cameras may be moved based on crime trends.
“A significant amount of our crime in Arnold involves suspects who do not reside in the immediate area,” Carroll said. “As a police department, we need to acknowledge this trend and control this criminal element. We are always looking to find new and innovative ways to enhance public safety. The Flock system is another tool that we can use to help keep our community safe.”
Marshak said the Sheriff’s Office’s two cameras and the additional cameras that will be installed next year will be positioned where the department is seeing higher rates of criminal activity.
He said it is important that the cameras aid law enforcement agencies without infringing on people’s rights.
“For law enforcement, it’s always a balance of safety versus privacy and how the technology is used,” Marshak said. “As long as the technology doesn’t infringe on Constitutional protections for our citizens, I will support it.”
Selvaggio said the functioning cameras his department leases are located at Upper Byrnes Mill Road and Hwy. 30; Gravois Road and Franks Road; and Byrnes Mill Road near Hwy. PP. He also said the city is working to replace the damaged camera at Lower Byrnes Mill Road and Hwy. 30.
“I can’t put a price on the value of this as far as locating people who have committed a serious offense in our city or locating people who have committed serious offenses in other cities who come into our town,” he said. “We will know if they are coming into our town, and hopefully, we can apprehend them before they commit a crime here. The information sharing on this is very important to all the police departments involved in this program.”
Lewis said the cameras in Festus are positioned on most roads leading in and out of town, but he would not reveal exactly where they are located because some of the cameras were vandalized shortly after being installed.
“They have worked out well for us,” Lewis said. “We have recovered several stolen vehicles and arrested several people who have had outstanding warrants. It has been an invaluable tool for the police department.”
Kyle also would not say where Herculaneum Police had cameras are installed.