RICHMOND, Va. -- New technology is helping Richmond Police solve more crimes in some neighborhoods in the River City, according to officials with the department.
The Flock cameras, which is a brand of license plate recognition or LPR camera systems, are located on tall black poles with a camera attached to them.
Major Ronnie Armstead with Richmond Police said the cameras are much more sophisticated than just a security camera. He said they are a license plate rear camera, but they are not in live time. In other words, Armstead said the cameras do not continually record and can be thought of as taking a snapshot.
“We pull from it and see if a vehicle was in this area or download data into it and maybe the vehicle was in the area according to what you download but it catches it if it comes through the area again,” he said.
Officers said the department received a $75,000 grant from a federal organization called Project Safe Neighborhoods to get the first 10, which began as a trial over the last year. Armstead said that because officers found the technology so effective, the department purchased 26 more.
Armstead said officers have used the cameras to solve crimes for automobile thefts, robbery suspect vehicle descriptions and shootings.
“We’ve gotten a lot from them,” he said.
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Armstead said the cameras are posted up in high-crime neighborhoods and on streets throughout the city, but officers declined to share a list of specific locations.
The cameras are one tool the department is finding to be especially crucial for catching crimes at a time when they are short-staffed, according to Armstead.
“It’s an extension of the police arm," Armstead explained. "It’s strengthening us in ways because, like I said, we are short like all agencies are. So it strengthens our forces and reinforces what we don’t have."
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