FARGO (KFGO) – The Fargo Police Department’s “FLOCK” traffic camera and license plate reader system has been online for about six months and, so far, the department is pleased with its operation.
The department has 21 license plate readers and five cameras.
Capt. Bill Ahlfeldt is overseeing the program.
“Those areas that we picked to put these cameras and license plate readers were developed through our intel and analysis unit and areas where it would be advantageous for us to help deter crime and violent crime in the city, and identify crime evidence – vehicles that might be involved in crime, or locate individuals that might be involved in crime, or that might be in some type of danger, witnesses to incidents, any of the above,” Ahlfeldt says.
Fargo Police say the system is used sparingly and should not be viewed as infringing on anyone’s right to privacy.
“What I would say is that these are all in public,” Ahlfeldt says. “The information inputted into them is based on specific intelligence, or crime data information that we are gathering here at the police department. And it’s being used to either identify evidence of violent crime, solve violent crime, or further investigations.”
Ahlfeldt says the initial investment with the company providing the service through a pilot program was $116,000. The annual renewal is $100,000, which includes maintenance and technology upgrades.
Ahlfeldt says next year, the department is hoping to install more cameras and will look to businesses that may agree to add their camera-surveillance systems to the program.
Over the weekend, police tracked a car driven by a suspect in a shooting using license plate scanning technology, who shot and killed himself.
Police have also recently put a “real-time crime center” in its headquarters building on 25th Street N. where officers monitor large, public events.
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