Litchfield Park to install license plate reader cameras

We are excited to see the deployment of the Flock Safety Camera System in Litchfield Park. This system will in no way be used for traffic enforcement. Rather, it will be very helpful with law enforcement for vehicle alerts, active warrants and knowing when vehicles entered and left all city neighborhoods. We welcome any question citizens may have.”

Matthew Williams, Litchfield Park interim city manager

In an effort to keep the number of non-violent crimes in Litchfield Park in check, the city will install 32 automated license plate reader cameras at neighborhood entrances and exits within the next 60 days.

“We are excited to see the deployment of the Flock Safety Camera System in Litchfield Park. This system will in no way be used for traffic enforcement,” Interim City Manager Matthew Williams said. “Rather, it will be very helpful with law enforcement for vehicle alerts, active warrants and knowing when vehicles entered and left all city neighborhoods. We welcome any question citizens may have.”

During its regular meeting Nov. 9, the Litchfield Park City Council approved a contract with Flock Safety Group to purchase up to 32 the automated camera systems at a cost of $2,500 each. Annual cost to the city for 32 cameras will be $80,000.

Similar systems also are being deployed in Youngtown and Tempe, Mr. Williams said, noting that nationally, cities that have installed automated camera systems have seen a 60% drop in non-violent crime on average.

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“Without objective, intelligent tools, the opportunity to commit crime is too easy and the evidence for law enforcement to solve crime is too ambiguous or just nonexistent,” Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley said via email. “In fact, over 80 percent of property crime goes unsolved — not for lack of effort, but for lack of evidence. Flock Safety captures objective evidence, uses computer vision to make sense of the evidence, and pushes that evidence into the hands of the right detective so she can solve the crime.”

Litchfield Park contracts with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.

Each month, MCSO provides the City Council with a monthly incident report. January’s report, which covered incidents in December, included 10 suspicious person/vehicle reports, four shoplifting reports, six traffic accidents, four residential/vehicle burglaries, three theft/theft from vehicle reports, two criminal damage/graffiti incidents, one driving under the influence report and one abandoned vehicle report, among others.

The solar-powered cameras will be installed on existing poles in neighborhoods or on new, 12-foot poles.

They only will be used to capture vehicle tags, vehicle make, model and color. They will not monitor speed or traffic signals, nor will they use any facial recognition technology, Mr. Williams said.

The cameras will allow the sheriff’s office to observe vehicles that may be the subject of an active warrant, a silver/amber alert or other incidents, and will provide the vehicle’s direct location in the city.

Camera footage also may be used in police investigations to monitor when suspect vehicles entered and/or exited city limits, Mr. Williams said.

Residents who have questions or who would like more information, may call City Hall at 623-935-5033.