Goshen Police Department prepares to install license plate cameras throughout the city

GOSHEN, Ind. --- The Goshen Police Department is hoping to reduce crime with the help of a new high-tech camera system. The cameras capture vehicle and plate images so investigators can run cross references for stolen or wanted vehicles.

“So this came about because the city really wanted to crack down on crime and we provide technology that helps you know fill that evidence gap," said Josh Thomas, Vice President of Marketing for Flock Safety.

The department is installing eight license plate cameras throughout the city to help officers catch suspects.

Last week, the Board of Public Works approved an agreement with security group, Flock Safety, to pay for the cameras which use software to captures license plates and vehicle images to run cross references on wanted vehicles.

“Our cameras can identify a stolen car as a drive spy and send an alert in real time to police, but also the things that are inside the stolen vehicles, illegal weapons, people that are going to commit other crimes. We’re trying to help them really stop that from occurring in the city," said Thomas.

The technology does not use facial recognition, and footage is deleted every 30 days, but some residents have brought up privacy concerns.

“This is taking a picture of a back of a car. It’s not recording video. There’s no live feed. It’s taking a picture of the back of a vehicle which is public information. So we don’t get the pictures of the drivers or the passengers of the car," said Thomas.

Flock Safety says the footage should help officers dive deeper into investigations to help solve more cases over the next year.

“Solve crime quickly, crime rates start to drop. That’s what we want for the city of Goshen. We want crime rates to drop. We want people to be able to live freely with peace of mind knowing that they’re gonna live in a safe community," said Thomas.

The cameras which are already featured in cities like South Bend and Elkhart will be installed in strategic areas throughout Goshen within the next six weeks.