PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth police said they recently used technology — their Flock camera system — to help find and catch a wanted felon and last month Norfolk police said their cameras helped them locate a missing elderly man. Police said these two instances are examples of the cameras being used as a force multiplier. Now some in Hampton Roads hope to expand the system.
The Flock license plate cameras are motion activated to detect license plates and take pictures. Then the pictures are run through several different crime databases. The system is meant to help law enforcement find stolen vehicles, wanted offenders, and missing people – like in the case of amber and silver alerts.
"One thing to note is that sometimes you'll actually see vehicle stops go down, because rather than pulling over every vehicle that might be suspicious, officers know exactly what vehicles are reported stolen or associated with wanted offenders and then only pull over those vehicles. So, it's precision policing," said Holly Beilin, Flock Safety spokesperson.
"The license plate readers, obviously, have been helpful when it comes to investigations," said Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins.
Portsmouth installed the license plate cameras and gunshot detection devices — that take in audio and notify dispatch of gunshots in a set area — over the last year and a half. Chief Jenkins said the devices have been worth it in the name of safety.
"Sometimes you get the situation where you get a gun shot victim into the hospital but no one called about where that actually happened . . . that gun shot detection has been helpful for us to be able to pinpoint instances where we can have officers go and start to look for those shell casings and/or additional victims and witnesses," Chief Jenkins explained.
Since the technology has rolled out, critics have raised concerns about privacy and information usage.
Beilin said that will always be a balancing act but the devices don't link to private information, the data – which is owned by area police departments and localities -- automatically hard deletes after 30 days, and searches in the system are recorded.
"So, if individuals want to understand what their police officers, their law enforcement are doing with this technology that taxpayer dollars are going towards, the system actually enables that transparency and accountability rather than not using technology and maybe not having that audit trail," said Beilin.
Roughly 100 agencies in Virginia use the Flock system, including many areas in Hampton Roads. Portsmouth is one agency that's said they'd like to expand its system.
Beilin said the biggest difference the company's seen after the technology's rolled out in different areas has been an increase in case clearance rates and a decrease in crime. She cited Chesapeake's statistics, saying between 2022 and 2023 Chesapeake police used the technology to close more than 200 cases, recover roughly 100 stolen vehicles, apprehend roughly 90 wanted people, and find four missing people. A national study on the cameras is expected to be released later this week.
