APD begins trial for plate-reader camera service

Image courtesy of FlockSafety.com

By: Tara Blue
The Ashland Board of Aldermen recently approved a trial period which allows the Ashland Police Department to access Flock Safety Camera and Plate reader data on a temporary basis.

Chief of Police Scott Young says the move gives APD access to data from other jurisdictions nationwide. After the trial period ends at the beginning of May, APD is proposing that the city enter into a multi-year agreement with Flock Safety which would install two license plate reader cameras on both sides of Route M, catching plate numbers of incoming vehicles from north and south Hwy. 63.

Young says the initial cost of both cameras is $7,300, which includes hardware, install, and permits, then $6,000 per year after.

Young says the cameras will be fixed and motion-activated, and will catch plates of vehicles coming into town from off the highway.

He says that Jefferson City already has them installed everywhere, and Columbia is following suit. With the cameras and the service, APD would be able to put alerts out for wanted persons, amber alerts, view and search still images and associated information within Flock’s technology platform, such as metadata, geolocation of devices, time stamp, and vehicle description.

The formal agreement with Flock must be budgeted and approved by the Board of Aldermen for the next fiscal year.