IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Wichita, Kan., Police Say License Plate Readers Solve Crimes

License plate readers that take photos of vehicles are already a success about a third of the way into a pilot project, Wichita police say, following a partnership with Flock Safety on a free 90-day pilot project.

ALPR License Plate Reader Cameras
Automated license plate reader (ALPR/LPR) cameras scan license plates of cars crossing into Pensacola Beach, Florida
(TNS) — New license plate readers that take photos of vehicles in Wichita are already a success about a third of the way into a pilot project, the police chief said Thursday.

"We want to talk about the success of these license plate readers and all that they have done," Police Chief  Gordon Ramsay  said. "From the moment they were turned on on Nov. 9, we have been astounded really at the amount of information that we have been getting from them and how it's impacted our ability to fight crime.

"Specifically, we have recovered 68 stolen cars — the value of all those vehicles was about $580,000 — 39 stolen license plates, we have made 39 felony arrests, we have seized 13 guns and also seized methamphetamine, cocaine, narcotic bills and marijuana."

The Wichita Police Department partnered with Flock Safety for a free 90-day pilot project of the license plate readers. Equipped with cameras, the readers take photos of vehicles and record the make, model, color and license plate number.

One month in, police say the readers have proven their value.

Lt.  Casey Slaughter , who is the administrator of the WPD license plate reader program, said a reader in early November alerted to a Jeep that had been stolen in Kansas City, Kansas, earlier that day. Officers recovered the $12,000-vehicle and a gun stolen in Sedgwick County, seized methamphetamine, arrested a suspect for the armed robbery in Kansas City and arrested a second suspect for a Department of Corrections absconder warrant.

Days before Thanksgiving, a license plate reader alerted to a vehicle taken two days earlier during an aggravated robbery where a handgun was used. Police found the vehicle at a gas station and arrested the robbery suspect, who had a warrant and faces additional drug charges as a result of the investigation. The vehicle, worth $3,600, was returned to its owner.

Earlier this week, police investigating a homicide had a vehicle description. The Flock system helped detectives identify the vehicle, leading to the arrest of a 17-year-old murder suspect.

"Those are just a few (notable investigations) that we've seen," Slaughter said. "The Flock license plate reader continues to yield incredibly astounding results. We are making some pretty significant arrests almost every single day. In fact, officers just got a Flock alert about an hour and a half ago and are making an arrest as we speak."

While the department has used mobile license plate readers in some patrol vehicles since 2014, the new readers are fixed to one location. They are solar-powered and can be moved relatively easily from a stoplight in one part of the city to a streetlight or telephone pole in another as crime trends change.

They are installed in 35 locations across the city, targeting high-crime areas.

Josh Thomas , a spokesperson for Atlanta-based Flock Safety, said the company wanted a chance to prove it's effectiveness at getting investigative leads.

"This is providing the evidence police need to solve crimes," he said. "Officers can't be everywhere at once. The good thing about what technology can do is it can be that force multiplier."

While victims may appreciate when police recover the stolen car they use to get groceries, the company wants to prevent those crimes in the first place, Thomas said.

"To us, the ultimate measure of success isn't the number of arrests made or vehicles recovered," he said. "Ultimately what it comes down to is reducing crime rates. ... It's about having safer streets."

The company, which also works with private entities to protect neighborhoods, says it prioritizes citizen privacy.

"Whenever you're dealing with technology, there will always be a question of if it's tracking my movements. The good thing with Flock Safety is it does not," Thomas said. "The footage automatically deletes. It is not stored forever."

The department follows many of the guiding principles the American Civil Liberties Union established for law enforcement use of license plate readers. The WPD policy on the technology is publicly available online.

Thomas said he expects the license plate readers in Wichita to continue producing strong statistics for the remainder of the 90-day pilot project. But any effect on crime rates will likely take longer than 90 days to show in the data.

"Our goal as a police department is to reduce violent crime and keep the community safe," WPD spokesman  Charley Davidson  said. "Through hard work of our staff and also our community partnerships and use of technology, we are able to hold those offenders accountable."

Ramsay noted that while Wichita's homicide rate is up — the city is on track to break the record — other violent felony crimes are down about 4%. The police chief said his officers are excited about the new license plate readers and how the data is helping apprehend criminals.

"Even though technology is great," Slaughter said, "it still comes down to old fashioned police work."

(c)2020 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.