YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — The trial program for the city’s Flock Camera system has so far been a success, the officer who spearheaded the effort to acquire the cameras says.
Statistics seem to back him up.
So far this week, police have made three arrests and recovered three stolen cars, drugs and two guns after using data from the cameras.
The cameras also helped police make an arrest in an October homicide and have helped to secure evidence in two other homicides, said Lt. Mohammad Awad, who led a two-year effort to get the camera system to Youngstown.
City Council approved $200,000 for the installation of the cameras in August. Plans are for the city to have over 50 of the cameras in place by the end of the year. They presently have about 25 cameras up and running, Awad said.
The cameras record vehicle images and license plate numbers and are only used when police need help in solving major crimes or for finding a missing person.
The plan is for the cameras to cover major intersections in the city as well as “cut-throughs,” or streets that are often used by people as a shortcut from one side of town to the other.
This week, police were able to spot the stolen cars after they were captured on camera by the Flock system. In the October homicide, police were able to use the cameras to trace a car that witnesses said was involved in the homicide to a West Side address. Investigators managed to find the car, which helped to crack the case.
Currently, 25 percent of the city’s patrol officers have access to the camera’s data but Awad said he expects all officers to be able to access it by the end of the year.
Officers can choose to get alerts on their phones or through their email, Awad said.
Often, investigators will get a vehicle description from witnesses at a crime scene but they do not have a license plate, Awad said. He said police can enter any data they have at the scene and the cameras will search for that type of vehicle.
The more information investigators have, the more they can narrow their search, Awad said.
Awad said he is especially pleased the officers have been able to not only find stolen cars but make arrests when they do because investigators believe there is a small group of people responsible for the majority of the city’s car thefts.
Those suspects are also committing more serious crimes but they still steal cars, so the cameras increase the chance to catch them and get them off the street, Awad said.
“They’re stealing cars to commit serious crimes,” Awad said.
Awad also said the cameras may also make a difference in the amount of car thefts, which is the kind of property crime police Chief Carl Davis is concerned about because of the impact it can have on the average person in the city. Having your car taken can impact a family in several ways by taking away a person’s way to get to work or take children to school or go to the store or a doctor, Awad said.
“Flock will put a dent in it,” Awad said.
