New Cameras Enhance Vehicle Crime Detection In Minnehaha County

A local law enforcement agency is getting a new tool to help fight crime.

New Cameras Coming

The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office is adding eight license plate reader cameras throughout the area to 'increase the effectiveness of our public safety efforts.'

This week, Sheriff's Captain Joe Bosman briefed the Minnehaha County Commission on the cameras, which are solar-powered, motion-activated, and infrastructure-free.

What the Cameras Do

The cameras are designed to capture a snapshot image of vehicle license plates and compare those plate numbers against those of stolen cars or cars driven by people suspected of being involved in criminal activities. That information will be relayed to authorities in real-time when a vehicle passes by.

Where the Images Go

The plate images will be entered into several different databases:

• FBI’s National Crime Information Center
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s AMBER Alert Database
• Silver Alert
• Local Hotlist

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Safeguards in Place

To ensure privacy and accountability, a few safeguards have been incorporated into the system:

• LPR will only capture objective evidence.
• Flock devices do not connect to databases to identify names, addresses, or other information about people.
• Audit Trail: The system requires a documented search reason or case number every time a user accesses Flock data.
• All data captured is 100% owned by the Sheriff's office.
• Validated and approved written agency policies are in place for all staff to follow.
• Responding law enforcement will visually verify and confirm the plate hit before any enforcement action is initiated.

The exact locations of the cameras have not been announced.

Two Year Project

The Sheriff's office is partnering with Atlanta-based Flock Safety for the two-year project. It is being paid for with federally approved Byrne JAG Program funds.

After two years, the anticipated successes of the system will be evaluated with further consideration to continue the plan after the initial term.

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