Amberley Village to Install Flock Cameras

Amberley Village joins the ranks of thousands of communities nationwide that are working together via flock camera technology. 

Council has approved the Amberley Village Police Department to acquire eight flock cameras at the September meeting of Council, in part to combat the recent increase in home and automobile break-ins in Amberley Village and surrounding communities. The cameras will expand the reach of Village license plate readers (LPRs) to include stationary locations in strategic positions throughout the community to combat theft and support pro-active policing. Chief Rich Wallace said the flock cameras are just one of a multitude of technology upgrades geared toward staying a step ahead of criminals and expanding upon the Village’s ongoing cultivation of community policing.

Wallace said the cameras are known to be effective in recovering stolen vehicles, missing persons, and personal property, which can often be moved to locations all over the country.

“We’ve been utilizing LPRs for the past several years with great success. The flock cameras expand our reach and allow us to provide even greater protection without having to increase personnel, which is much more costly," said Chief Wallace. “Police can be alerted immediately if a stolen car passes a camera.” Statistics show that approximately 70% of all crimes involve a vehicle. Investigators can use data stored in the Flock Safety system for up to 30 days to identify cars used in criminal activities. It’s important to know that the cameras gather objective evidence about vehicles, but do not have facial recognition and are not used for traffic enforcement. Their purpose is solely to deter and detect criminals, collect evidence, reduce response times and save the Village money.