On Tuesday, the Pflugerville City Council gave its approval for the purchase of more than two-dozen Flock Safety Cameras which will soon be put to use by the Pflugerville Police Department. Officials expect the new cameras to assist in investigations and improve safety where police cannot always be present.
The cameras will be placed throughout Pflugerville in highly-trafficked areas, with additional cameras in large retail areas, including Stone Hill Town Center and near Walmart.
“Flock Safety Cameras contain a license plate reader and take pictures of vehicles as they drive by that can then be accessed by Pflugerville Police officers up to 30 days after they are captured,” the city says. “These cameras will also automatically scan for stolen vehicles and wanted persons. This technology has been successfully implemented by surrounding agencies, who have seen increased recovery of stolen vehicles and a reduction in overall crime.”
Speaking to council this week, Pflugerville Lieutenant Tyler Summers said Round Rock recently made a similar purchase, and that city’s police department has already benefited from their use.
“In the first 48 hours they had three stolen vehicle hits, one stolen license place hit, one missing persons hit, and it was used in a homicide investigation,” Summers said.
Pflugerville Police have developed a policy based on the best practices of other agencies, which includes:
- A 30-day limit on data storage and access restrictions
- Employee training
- Strict restrictions surrounding when cameras can be accessed
- Quarterly audits of officers’ usage by leadership
Flock has vowed to provide a transparency portal that will show what the system is set up to detect, the department’s policy on its use, number of cameras, number of vehicles detected, data shared with other law enforcement agencies, and how many searches our officers have conducted using the system. When live, that portal will be available at //pflugervilletx.gov/flocksafety.
The 28 cameras approved by City Council are funded through a Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhood Grant and will be operational within a few weeks.
