By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
The addition of surveillance cameras on Arkadelphia thoroughfares aims to help Arkadelphia police solve certain crimes.
The Flock Safety system has the ability to capture images of license plates from each passing vehicle, notifying the Arkadelphia Police Department when a fugitive or stolen vehicle passes by.
The system will not be used for traffic enforcement. Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson assures citizens that the camera system, purchased with a grant from the Ross Foundation, will not be used to flag speeding motorists.
“It’s looking for specific vehicles identified as criminally active” by state and national criminal databases, Jackson said. Data collected in the system is stored for 30 days, then deleted, the chief said.
The system sends real time alerts to the APD, alerting patrol officers within 10-12 seconds within spotting a stolen or wanted vehicle.
There are about 5,000 communities across the U.S. using Flock Safety surveillance, including about 50 Arkansas municipalities. One Fort Smith-area police department was able to use the system to solve crimes ranging from vehicle thefts and stolen license plates to receiving notifications of sex offenders entering the city, according to a 2021 news report from Arkansas’s River Valley.
Chief Jackson added that the Sheridan Police Department was able to recover nine stolen vehicles and two missing children within the first few months of using the system.
Citing security reasons, the police department is tight-lipped about the locations and quantity of cameras that will be installed.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, the Arkadelphia Board of Directors formally accepted a $30,750 grant covering the system’s installation and the first two years of service.
Arkadelphia airport improvements
In other business, the city board approved a pair of resolutions to accept grants from the Federal Aviation Administration for work on a 60’x60’ hangar and the replacement of approach runway lights at Dexter Florence Memorial Field.
The FAA will cover 90% of the total $601,073 cost; the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics will reimburse the city for the remaining 10%.
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