Vote will continue renewable contract for another year
At its Wednesday, July 15 meeting, the East Ellijay City Council voted to keep the city’s Flock cameras.
Flock Safety sells cameras that law enforcement can use to help watch communities.
The city voted four to one for keeping the cameras, with Council Member James Waters voting against it.
License plate reader cameras capture still photographs of vehicles, and live view cameras take video.
Flock’s technology then uploads this information to a database accessible to participating law enforcement organizations across America.
Law enforcement agencies can use this data to track down suspects.
The city began testing the cameras in March.
“We were one of the few counties and cities that didn’t have them,” Director of Public Safety Larry Callahan said.
The city has been testing the use of seven license plate reader cameras and two live view cameras.
This year, East Ellijay plans to get rid of two of the plate readers.
So far, cameras have allowed the East Ellijay Police Department (EEPD) to review car crashes without the need to depend on unreliable eyewitness testimony.
“We’ve been able to go back and watch the video and determine who’s at fault,” Callahan said.
The five plate reader cameras and two live view cameras will cost $16,750 yearly.
After a year, East Ellijay will have to renew its contract.
The amount of violations that the EEPD writes from the cameras more than pay for this cost.
“I’m not on the money side,” he said. “But it’s a good tool. It’s hard to ignore any longer.”
Callihan cited a recent example when EEPD officers were able to use Flock cameras to track down a criminal who fled from police on a motorcycle.
He acknowledged that some in the community worry that Flock cameras threaten privacy.
But in a world where smartphones are used almost universally, it’s hard to make that argument, he said.
“If you have a cell phone, you’re already being tracked,” Callahan said. “And the Department of Transportation has cameras at most of these same intersections as well.”
In addition, the system is designed to catch and punish officers who use the cameras for personal reasons.
The cameras make policing easier and more effective, especially in investigating traffic accidents and missing persons cases.
“I think it makes the community safer,” Callahan said.