Charlotte-area neighborhoods installing license plate readers for security privateofficer.org

 

MATTHEWS, N.C. March 1 2020 Charlie Clayton is president of his Wellington Woods HOA.

He now has access to a camera system that tells him and his neighbors what cars are coming in and out of their neighborhood.

“It tells the license plate number, tells you the make of the car, sometimes will tell you the color, it’s also seen this car 23 of the last 29 days,” he says, scrolling through the system on his computer.

He and his neighbors decided to install the camera at their only entrance after several break-ins, including a woman down the street from Clayton.

“Someone broke into her house as she was in the shower,” he says. “And it just scared the heck out of her.”

The camera does not record video, the camera company Flock Safety says, but snaps photos of license plates of every car that goes by.

“Which gives police concrete evidence, “ Flock Safety spokesperson Josh Miller says. “Which, a lot of times, is missed when you have something that is just watching the crime.”

Flock Safety says 12 neighborhoods in the Greater Charlotte area have installed their system. Neighborhoods can either share information with sheriff’s departments case-by-case, or allow deputies access to the system.

“Hopefully, it can at least prevent some property crime, and even more, violent crime, if people know these cameras are growing in popularity,” Tony Underwood with the Union County Sheriff’s Office says.

Some critics of the cameras are concerned they take away privacy, but many neighbors feel differently.

“These are state roads,” Clayton says. “You have no privacy traveling state roads. You have cameras up everywhere on state highways, federal highways.”

He says he wishes his neighborhood already had their camera installed, when his neighbor down the street experienced her break-in.

“It makes a big difference having that tag,” Clayton says. “And not having that tag for that lady was a big bummer.”

Clayton says the neighborhood has not had any issues since the camera was installed.

For neighbors with concerns about privacy, the Flock Safety group says people can opt out, and get put on a “safe list,” so any time their car passes by the camera, the system will recognize it, and delete the image automatically.

WBTV