By SYDNEY KENT
Six additional license plate reader cameras will be placed throughout the county in the next year. According to Sheriff Scott Holliday, the software has been purchased for a one-year trial period.
The cameras will be placed on Ind. 1, Ind. 224 and Ind. 124 at the exterior locations of the county. Holliday advised the cameras will only capture photos of license plates of vehicles entering Wells County.
“The camera takes a photo of the rear of a vehicle to get the plate and characteristics of the vehicle, like the make and model and distinguishing marks,” Holliday told The News-Banner. “That photo is automatically run through a database that will alert us if the car is stolen or the registered owner has a warrant for their arrest within five to 10 seconds.”
Flock Safety, the company that founded the software in 2017, has license plate recognition cameras in over 3,000 cities.
In February of 2022, the Bluffton Police Department received approval from the Board of Works to implement four cameras throughout the city, which cost approximately $10,000 per year. The contract with Flock is renewed annually according to the company’s subscription-based model.
Flock Safety’s subscription model starts at $2,500 per camera per year, with a one-time installation fee of $150-$650 per camera. Holliday stated he used commissary funds to purchase the cameras, which will be implemented sometime this month.
“I would like to try these for a year and see how beneficial they are,” Holliday said. “I’m not about throwing away money. If I see they are effective in helping solve and reduce crime, I will take them before the (Wells County) Council and request to make them a part of the yearly budget. If not, I won’t keep paying them.”
According to the company website, Flock requires each search performed to have a case number, meaning officers will not be able to search for license plate photos without probable cause. If a case number is fabricated, it will be caught by an annual audit. The auditing is also transparent to the council.
Holliday emphasized that the cameras are not traffic cameras, speed monitoring devices or a tool to catch drivers with parking violations or expired tags. They also are not a facial recognition tool or video cameras used to surveil people, and the information collected is automatically deleted after 30 days.
Holliday continued, “As sheriff, public safety is my number one concern. I don’t have an officer at the county line all day, but I could. This automates what we already have access to doing now. I want to know what’s coming into our community — whether it is stolen cars, wanted individuals or homicide suspects coming into our community.”
“We’re not getting special or new information,” Det. Chip Swindell added. “This is information that we already have access to. For 99.99 percent of people, this will not affect them.”
sydney@news-banner.com
