Republic file photo An example of a license plate camera image from Flock Safety showing the rear and side the vehicle, which would also identify any bumper stickers or roof racks.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department has extended its contract with surveillance cameras which read license plates on county roadways.
The $23,000 contract with Georgia-based Flock Safety Co. has been extended through June 16, 2027. While Flock has increased its annual fee by $5 per camera, Capt. Chris Roberts of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says a five-year commitment locks fees into place, saving an estimated $25,000.
With the use of artificial intelligence, the Flock cameras can capture still images of every vehicle that comes into view. The images are uploaded to a cloud server, and police are alerted when the cameras catch vehicles flagged for suspected involvement in a crime. The cameras are configured to alert police to vehicles that have been reported stolen or are associated with a missing person, according to the website.
Besides the license plate number and the state where the plate was issued, information collected within seconds by Flock cameras includes the vehicle color, make, model, roof racks and even bumper stickers, the website states. The date and time of the image is recorded, as well as how many times the vehicle has passed by the cameras over the past month.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
