Full transcript
WASHINGTON CITY POLICE SAY A
TECHNOLOGY COMING TO SEVERAL
CITY INTERSECTIONS COULD HELP
THEM SOLVE CRIMES FASTER AND
TRACK DOWN SUSPECTS BEFORE THEY
LEAVE TOWN. CITY LEADERS HAVE
APPROVED A YEAR LONG TRIAL OF
FLOCK LICENSE PLATE READER
CAMERAS.
POLICE SAY THESE ARE NOT
DESIGNED TO WRITE TICKETS.
THEY'RE DESIGNED TO GENERATE
LEADS. SHELLEY BORTZ HAS MORE ON
ONE OF WHERE ONE OF THOSE
CAMERAS WILL BE INSTALLED.
HUNDREDS OF VEHICLES PASS
THROUGH THIS INTERSECTION EVERY
HOUR. SOON, WASHINGTON CITY
POLICE SAY A CAMERA MOUNTED
NEARBY WILL CAPTURE LICENSE
PLATE INFORMATION FOR EVERY
VEHICLE THAT PASSES THROUGH.
INFORMATION THEY SAY COULD PROVE
CRITICAL WHEN SOLVING A CRIME.
TO US, IT WOULD BE CRUCIAL.
A STOLEN CAR SPEEDS THROUGH
WASHINGTON. A ROBBERY SUSPECT
TAKES OFF BEFORE OFFICERS
ARRIVE. A MISSING PERSON CASE
COMES IN WITH FEW CLUES.
WASHINGTON CITY POLICE SAY THOSE
ARE THE MOMENTS WHEN EVERY
SECOND MATTERS AND WHY THEY'RE
BRINGING FLOCK LICENSE PLATE
READER CAMERAS TO CITY STREETS.
WE GET A LARGE FLOW OF
TRAFFIC THROUGH OUR AREA, SO WE
WERE ABLE TO TALK WITH FLOCK AND
THEY WERE WILLING TO DO THIS
DEMO TO SEE WHAT RESOURCE THIS
COULD PROVIDE FOR US WITHIN THE
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
AS VEHICLES PASS THROUGH
INTERSECTIONS, THE CAMERAS
CAPTURE LICENSE PLATE
INFORMATION AND VEHICLE
DESCRIPTIONS, CREATING WHAT
POLICE DESCRIBE AS ANOTHER
INVESTIGATIVE TOOL WHEN THEY'RE
SEARCHING FOR A SUSPECT VEHICLE.
WASHINGTON CITY POLICE PUBLIC
INFORMATION OFFICER DETECTIVE
BRADY STALLINGS SAYS THEY'VE
RELIED ON NEIGHBORING
COMMUNITIES CAMERA SYSTEMS IN
THE PAST. SOON, INVESTIGATORS
WILL HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO
INFORMATION COLLECTED INSIDE
CITY LIMITS.
WE RELY RIGHT NOW ON
SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS
CAMERAS, WHICH HAVE BEEN USEFUL
TO US, BUT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE
OUR OWN IN THIS AREA, THIS WILL
DEFINITELY SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE OUTCOME OF OUR CASES.
STALLINGS TELLS US THE
TECHNOLOGY HAS HELPED SOLVE
ROBBERIES, VEHICLE THEFTS,
KIDNAPINGS AND MISSING PERSONS
CASES IN COMMUNITIES WHERE IT'S
ALREADY BEING USED. HE STRESSES
THE CAMERAS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO
ISSUE TICKETS AND WON'T BE USED
FOR SPEED ENFORCEMENT.
OUR GOAL IS NOT TO ENFORCE
ANY SORT OF TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS
THROUGH THESE CAMERAS. OUR GOAL
IS TO MAINLY USE THESE FOR
INVESTIGATIVE RESOURCES TO HELP
US AND AID US IN SOLVING CASES.
THAT'S IT.
CAMERAS WILL BE INSTALLED AND
STRATEGICALLY PLACED AT NO COST
TO THE CITY. NOW, AT THE END OF
THE ONE YEAR TRIAL, CITY LEADERS
WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE NEW
TECHNOLOGY HAS PROVEN VALUABLE
ENOUGH TO KEEP AS