Niagara County Sheriff's Office partnering with automated license plate reader company

Submitted by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office

The Niagara County Sheriff's Office is announcing a partnership with Flock Safety, a company that provides an automated license plate reader (ALPR) service. The installation of cameras will include 67 locations strategically located throughout Niagara County.

These cameras provide law enforcement with real-time data to capture the make, model, color and license plate from the rear of vehicles traveling throughout Niagara County. They capture actionable evidence and send real-time alerts if a wanted or stolen vehicle passes by these cameras. The alerts are sent to all law enforcement agencies within seconds.

The cameras are not used for traffic enforcement, they do not take photos of the vehicle occupants, and there is no facial recognition technology.

Additionally, when new technology is introduced, there is generally a question whether it's tracking citizen movement. This system is not. The data is securely stored in the cloud, automatically deleted every 30 days on a rolling basis, and is not sold or shared with third parties.

Niagara County law enforcement will be able to use this system for both proactive and reactive crime fighting. This system will also provide valuable information when investigating crime, providing much-needed leads to help solve criminal offenses.

The Flock Safety cameras are just one more tool to assist law enforcement across Niagara County solve and prevent crime. As technology and crime trends change, these ALPR cameras allow law enforcement to remain at the leading edge to continue to provide safety and security for Niagara County.

Sheriff Michael Filicetti said, "These cameras will be a game-changer for law enforcement in this county. Many communities have seen a reduction in crime by utilizing this technology as a crime-fighting tool.”