Franklin Police have installed traffic cameras like this one, seen near the intersection of Jefferson Street and Morton Street, at commonly used entry and exit points to the city.
Scott Roberson | Daily Journal
Cameras posted at busy Franklin intersections are a new law enforcement tool that is meant to help solve crimes, not spy on residents, police say.
Franklin Police Department had 10 license plate cameras installed on a trial basis, but are finding them so useful Chief Kirby Cochran is planning to purchase them when the trial is up at the end of January. The cameras cost $2,500 each, so the city will pay $25,000 to keep all 10.
The Flock Safety camera system is on cloud-based technology accessible via a web portal so there is no ongoing expense for storing the footage, Cochran said.
The cameras are posted at busy entry and exit points to the city, including State Street, Earlywood Drive, Jefferson Street, four intersections on Morton Street and two intersections on King Street.
Franklin police are using the same type of cameras that are already being used in Johnson County by multiple agencies including the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Greenwood Police Department and Clark-Pleasant schools. Officers can access footage recorded by other local agencies, police in Indianapolis and everywhere else the camera system is used around the country, said Anthony Povinelli, Franklin police sergeant.
“It is not just in our city. It is used when they leave our city and enter into another jurisdiction. It is nationwide in thousands, literally thousands, of jurisdictions,” Povinelli said.
Cochran hopes to add more cameras over time and work with local businesses and homeowners associations who want to install one to help solve crimes in their areas or neighborhoods, he said.
The license plate reader works with the NCIC system, a nationwide database that includes public safety data including stolen vehicle alerts, AMBER and Silver Alerts, warrants, the sex offender registry and more. The police already have access to the system, but this works much faster than a manual search, Cochran said.
“It captures it at virtually light speed. As the vehicle goes through, it is already running the license plate, telling us if the vehicle is stolen, if the vehicle is wanted,” he said.
The cameras are used most often to track a vehicle that was used in a crime. Since about 70% of crimes are committed using a vehicle, the system is an important tool to find those vehicles after they depart a crime scene, Cochran said.
The cameras are are always on and capture data as cars pass by, including license plate numbers, car color, make and model and more data points.
Police don’t always get a full or correct license plate number from crime witnesses. But with a search term such as “White Jeep” police can more easily find cars that fit that description if they have passed by the cameras, Povinelli said.
The cameras capture two lanes of traffic, and can catch a full license plate even if the car is traveling at a high speed.
“They will capture a vehicle at speeds of 100 mph from 75 feet away. It is very impressive technology,” Cochran said.
The system can also search by image. For example, it was used to search for a photo of tail lights that was caught on a security camera near the scene of a stolen catalytic converter, said Emily Watson, Franklin police administrative assistant.
Though the cameras are always on, they aren’t being used to spy on residents. They also aren’t being used to give residents tickets if they are speeding or disregard a stop sign or traffic signal, Cochran said.
“This is not a Big Brother system. We don’t have time to sit and watch these cameras,” he said. “This is a tool, just like any tool. It is used when it is needed to be utilized. … It isn’t constantly recording an individual. It is capturing and running a license plate.”
