YORK (WGME) — The York Police Department has four automatic license plate recognition cameras throughout the town, which officers say have significantly aided in solving crimes over the past year and a half.
The Flock Safety cameras capture and store data such as license plate numbers and the make, model and color of passing vehicles.
“With public safety, it’s always a balance. We want to make sure people’s privacy is protected, but we are also protecting the public as well,” York Police Lieutenant Nikolaos Piskopanis said.
The cameras, which do not have facial recognition capabilities, are used primarily in criminal investigations.
“Just because we have plate and car information doesn’t mean that now we’re going to go and get an arrest warrant for the person. It’s quite literally the beginning of our investigation,” Piskopanis said.
Piskopanis says the cameras have proven effective in various situations, including tracking down a stolen vehicle last month.
“We got an alert that it came through the spur road,” Piskopanis said. “Our officers were in the area. They tried to stop the vehicle. It did eventually stop. The passenger got out and ran. The driver stayed in the vehicle. We were able to apprehend both the driver and the passenger that fled. Turns out they both had warrants for their arrest. There was a firearm in the car.”
Despite the success, concerns about data collection and privacy have been raised. In Sanford, the city council reversed a decision to start a Flock Safety camera pilot program after receiving community feedback and learning more about national concerns.
In response to similar concerns in York, the York Select Board and the police department plan to hold a public meeting next month to discuss the cameras’ usage and data handling.
