New Flock cameras helping Lexington police solve crimes
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Lexington’s new Flock camera system is helping police solve crimes.
Back in April, police told us 25 Flock cameras were being placed around the city. Sgt. Guy Miller says all 25 have not been installed but noted officers are seeing results with the ones that are up.
Flock Safety, the company that creates the cameras, says the devices have helped police find stolen vehicles, find missing people and assist in nearly a dozen investigations.
The company reports that from March 22 to May 25, Flock cameras helped Lexington Police recover 26 stolen vehicles, locate two missing people, further 10 investigations and locate a suspect in a discarded dog case.
The cameras work by reading the license plates of vehicles passing by. The urban-county council recently passed Mayor Linda Gorton’s budget which included $275,000 for 75 more flock cameras.
“You know, we’re all subject to inherent human bias, police, eyewitnesses, everyone,” said Holly Beilin with Flock Safety. “But, the Flock cameras, because they’re trained on license plates and vehicle details, pick up wholly objective evidence.”
Still, some community groups are voicing concerns.
Lexington NAACP President Whit Whitaker says he’s happy that police are trying to reduce crime. But he feels police have not released any real evidence to show the effectiveness of flock cameras.
“This data to me is inconclusive. The real issue is transparency. The real issue is not establishing a relationship with these communities that they want to put cameras in,” Whitaker said.
In the past, Mayor Gorton has emphasized the Flock cameras will not be used to monitor people.
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