At a recent City Council Public Workshop meeting, Ron Fithen, the Police Executive for Administrative Services, spoke about bringing Flock Safety cameras to the City of Wilmington. The goal of these cameras would be to prevent and solve crimes more quickly.
The cameras would be placed around the city to photograph license plates and the rear of vehicles only. Fithen proposes that the city needs 17 cameras to ensure that each entry and exit to the city is covered. The cameras have aided in solving hit and runs, robberies, AMBER Alerts, Silver Alerts, homicide cases, and more. Each camera costs $3,000. Fithen has been applying for state grants since 2021, hoping to install the cameras. Walmart also gave $3,000 in hopes of reducing petty theft.
Fithen specifically mentioned Daniel Smith, a local man killed in a hit-and-run. He said, “Had we had Flocks Safety cameras in use that night here in the city of Wilmington, that case, that person would’ve been arrested and handcuffed that night, within 12 hours… when it took almost four or five days to get that case wrapped up.”
The technology is used by over 430 law enforcement agencies in Ohio, including some in Warren, Clermont, and Montgomery counties. Upon installing the cameras, the city will have access to all of Flock’s cameras across the United States. Fithen mentioned that those using the cameras within the region have seen a 9% increase in the closure of cases.
Fithen also addressed privacy concerns, emphasizing the data is only stored for 30 days, the cameras are not a facial recognition tool, and are not used for speeding violations. A Flock representative even mentioned that the ACLU is considered a friend to Flock Safety.
Learn more at wilmingtonohio.gov.
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