Fourteen cameras capable of detecting license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions will soon be installed across Oxford.
The cameras, which cost approximately $3,000 each, capture “objective vehicle data” and decode evidence in real time. They also provide alerts for stolen vehicles and wanted persons they detect.
“It’s a wonder anyone gets away with anything anymore,” City Councilor David Prytherch said. “The moral of the story – don’t try to [commit] a crime.”
On Feb. 6, the Oxford City Council unanimously elected to enter a five-year, $219,000 contract with Flock Group, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, a private data acquisition company that specializes in safety cameras and data management. The cameras will belong to Flock, while Oxford will pay an annual fee for access to the data.
Thirteen will be installed along high-traffic roads near the Oxford city borders, according to a staff report from Oxford Police Chief John Jones. The exact locations have not been determined. An additional camera will be installed in the uptown area near the parks.
“Since before my time as chief, the city has been talking about getting safety cameras uptown,” Jones said. “To assist in solving crimes, preventing disorder and responding to different issues.”
Oxford police previously had license plate reading technology on U.S. Route 27-N, by the entrance to Walmart, but were unable to continue running the technology due to maintenance issues.
“I think this will be a great tool to promote safety and livability in Oxford,” Jones said.
The new cameras are expected to be in use by this summer, police told council on Feb. 6.
Flock Group, which works with city governments and local police departments around the country, has a growing network in Butler County and southwest Ohio, according to the staff report. The report also states that Oxford police have utilized Flock cameras placed in neighboring jurisdictions to solve criminal investigations in the past.
“Area police agencies are having success in solving crime, preventing crime, and locating vehicles involved with wanted or missing persons,” the report states.
All information recorded by Flock cameras is processed and stored by Flock Group. According to the Data Sharing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Flock Group and Oxford police, photos and videos recorded on the cameras are stored for “no longer than thirty days.” Oxford police has the option to offload data from the cameras to a case file should it be needed past the 30-day period.
The MOU also states that “Flock and its licensors retain all right, title and interest in … any recordings or data provided by Flock through the Flock Service.” Flock also retains the right to “use the [recordings] for any purpose in Flock’s sole discretion.”
Recent news reports credit Flock cameras with helping solve a number of crimes in Ohio and Indiana. In October 2023, local law enforcement in Lawrence, Indiana used the cameras to target and arrest a murder suspect. The cameras were also used by police in Portage, Indiana to find a 28-year-old Illinois resident accused of driving across the Indiana state line to molest a 12-year-old girl. Flock cameras outside each school in the Licking Heights Local School District in Licking County, Ohio capture a photo of every license plate that crosses onto school property.
