Citing the success of the City of Centralia’s use of Flock License Plate Recognition System cameras to aid its police department with tracking suspect vehicles, the Napavine City Council has approved a two-year agreement with Flock Safety to set up three cameras in Napavine.
“I’m excited to try it out here,” Napavine Police Chief John Brockmueller said of the Flock cameras at a Napavine City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
“It’s going to be a good thing for the city and keep the city a lot safer.”
Flock Safety is an Atlanta-based security company specializing in automated license plate recognition technology. Cameras are designed to provide law enforcement with leads they need to start investigations by providing license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions, which include the make, model and color of the vehicle.
The City of Centralia conducted a two-month trial with 20 Flock cameras earlier this year, which local law enforcement officials consider a success. During the two-month trial, the system helped Centralia officers catch shoplifting suspects and a homicide suspect, recover eight stolen vehicles and solve 20 significant crimes, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
“They’ve been quite effective,” Napavine Mayor Shawn O’Neill said of the Flock cameras on Tuesday.
In June, the City of Chehalis approved a year-long lease to test up to 15 of the cameras for its own police department.
With the city council’s approval Tuesday, the City of Napavine has entered into a two-year, $19,450 contract with Flock Safety for three Flock cameras: $10,450 for the first year and $9,000 for the second year.
“This is something that has kind of already paid for itself,” Brockmueller said Tuesday.
