The Excelsior Springs City Council has lately accepted a proposal to implement a License Plate Recognition (LPR) digital camera system all through the town. This choice, backed by knowledgeable companies settlement with Flock Safety, marks a big step in enhancing native regulation enforcement capabilities.

The initiative, spearheaded by Excelsior Springs Police Chief Gregory Dull, goals to leverage the nexus between motor automobiles and prison exercise. Chief Dull emphasised the worth of license plates as goal proof, essential for buying actionable leads in varied prison investigations.

These LPR cameras, strategically positioned all through the town, will help in real-time identification and interception of stolen or needed suspect automobiles. “This technology acts as extra sets of eyes, particularly valuable in time-sensitive cases like Amber Alerts, homicides, robberies, and kidnappings,” Chief Dull acknowledged.

The Excelsior Springs Police Department performed thorough evaluations, testing programs from three completely different suppliers. Flock Safety emerged as probably the most cost-effective and appropriate possibility, aligning with each the present and future wants of the division.

The first-year implementation value, totaling $54,000, will likely be financed via the Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) Fund. Additionally, the division secured a $24,000 Missouri Department of Public Safety 2024 Local Violent Crime Prevention Grant and anticipates additional funding from a 2023 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant.

The transfer to undertake LPR expertise follows related profitable implementations in different cities. Many communities which have expertise with Flock Safety cameras have seen important crime discount potential, a outcome the Excelsior Springs Police Department hopes to copy.

Despite the clear advantages, the initiative has raised some privateness issues from residents and council members. To handle these, the division assures that the LPR cameras won’t gather private data, focusing solely on automobile knowledge. The system is designed with out facial recognition capabilities and won’t subject citations for site visitors violations.

As the Excelsior Springs neighborhood prepares for the deployment of this expertise, the Police Department stays dedicated to making sure that the LPR system is utilized responsibly, respecting each the efficacy of regulation enforcement and the privateness of its residents.

Read extra about Flock Inc. and LPRs on the Flock website.