NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office is expanding its license plate reader camera program, a move officials said will strengthen crime-fighting capabilities and help locate missing persons across the region.
The initiative, which began three years ago, is set to grow significantly with the addition of dozens of Flock cameras strategically placed throughout the county.
According to Chief Deputy Robert Richards, they already have a network of 10 Flock cameras, and it has already proven to be effective in aiding investigations and solving crimes, from stolen vehicles to missing person cases.
“The program in Niagara County has been used primarily for crime prevention,” said Richards. “These cameras are strictly for locating missing persons, stolen vehicles, strictly for crime prevention.
Richards said this project will bring an additional 57 cameras online, with new installations in municipalities including North Tonawanda.
Police Chief Keith Glass of North Tonawanda said the cameras will allow officers to respond to potential threats in real time.
“It is just awesome. If we have a suspect vehicle and we know the license plate, we can input that into the system,” said Glass. “Anytime that vehicle passes a Flock camera, it will alert us."
While the growing use of license plate reader technology has sparked privacy concerns in some communities, Richards assures the public that Niagara County’s program is focused solely on public safety. He emphasized that the system is not used to issue traffic tickets or to monitor residents.
“They are not used to issue tickets to anybody or track anyone,” Richards said. “We find it to be a good resource and a helpful tool to solve crimes in a timely manner.”
Richards said all data captured by the Flock cameras will be stored in a secure network and automatically deleted after 30 days.
Richards adds that the project’s $172,000 cost was entirely funded by grants when the program first launched.
Richards said that while progress was initially slowed due to state and Department of Transportation (DOT) permitting requirements, the Sheriff's Office is now confident the expansion is back on track.
“It has taken a while for the project to get going based on guidance from New York State and the DOT,” Richards said. “But through the right permitting and cooperation, we’re getting it moving forward.”
Officials are currently awaiting final resolutions from municipalities and regulatory bodies before completing the expansion.
