The Watsonville Police Department is the latest agency in the region to acquire a highly advanced tool to help officers combat crime and keep the community safe.
Nearly two dozen automated license plate reading cameras were recently installed throughout the City in strategic locations after the City Council approved the implementation of the program.
The Flock Safety cameras have proven successful in helping officers solve significant crimes.
The WPD recently acquired funding for 20 Flock Safety cameras. This advanced technology identifies and flags license plates connected to a crime. Also, rather than waiting for valuable surveillance video from other private locations, this program gives officers immediate access to photographs of vehicles arriving or leaving the area of a crime.
Several neighboring law enforcement agencies with this program have seen positive results. In fact, their Flock Safety cameras helped Watsonville Police Department in the past solve multiple homicides and shooting investigations.
Officers can also use these cameras to locate stolen vehicles, follow up on burglary investigations, person(s) and cars of interest, and Amber Alerts. This program is not used for immigration enforcement and traffic enforcement. The cameras do not record on a 24/7 basis, nor do they provide private information about the vehicle’s owner.
Before Officers use this program, they must go through training. If an Officer uses the software to search for a specific vehicle, a Watsonville Police case number must be entered before making that search.
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