The Carrollton Police Department is expanding its surveillance capabilities through a new camera program.
The department, working with private vendor Flock Safety, this week launched Carrollton Safe, which allows residents to voluntarily send their own live security camera footage – from tools like Ring – into CPD’s feed.
“Their cameras, those improvements to efficiency for retrieving video footage for our investigators and crime scene technicians, it just increases exponentially,” said Carrollton Assistant Police Chief Caleb West.
The department already keeps a voluntary registry of hundreds of private security cameras that West said has aided in solving previous crimes, including murders. The new video integration option is a “game changer,” he said.
“We created the camera registry many years ago to try and cut down on that time,” he said. With Carrollton safe, though, this is simply … improvements to technology.”
Connor Metz, a spokesperson for Flock Safety, said to address concerns about privacy, the company will not keep any data past 30 days.
“Some folks in some communities, you know, they have concerns, they don't want police officers going back two years in the past to go and like track their movements,” Metz said.
The company was recently found to have installed dozens of cameras on public property in Fort Worth without approval from the city. A lawsuit against the city of Norfolk, Virginia, alleges the city’s use of Flock’s license plate reader technology “allows police to monitor the comings and goings of all drivers in the city.”
Carrollton PD also uses Flock’s license plate recognition technology.
West said the city isn’t concerned, as they are aware of all the cameras on Carrollton city property.
“We share the same transparency and privacy concerns as everyday citizens,” he said.
Carrollton police officers are restricted from accessing or viewing camera footage without a law enforcement purpose. It has to be documented and logged by the officer as they seek to view that information, West said.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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