WEST CHESTER, Ohio — Anyone who has driven through the intersection of Union Center Boulevard and Mulhauser Road in West Chester over the past few months, might not have noticed one small but important change.
Near that intersection and several others strategically selected, 32 Flock license plate readers have been installed throughout the township. There are four at the intersection of Mulhauser and Union Center Blvd.
Joel Herzog, West Chester police chief, said the cameras will save hours of work for investigators.
“We’ve had the automated licensed plate reader for years on cruisers," said Herzog. "This technology has come about by casting a net around the township. The cruisers are mobile. You might get something, might miss something. This puts a permanent fixture around the township. Gives us a safety net where we can detect criminals coming in if they have warrants, or stolen vehicles coming in, and we can be proactive on keeping them from making crimes while they’re here.”
The information collected is in the form of a picture. The camera takes a snapshot of the back of each car: license plate, make, model, and color of the vehicle.
“Nothing to do with facial recognition. Doesn’t capture occupants of the vehicles,” Herzog said.
If the car was stolen, or involved in a serious crime, it will send a ping to officers and dispatch.
“It’s only allowed to be searched if there’s a crime involved. We can’t just randomly, 'let’s see where this citizen has been traveling,'” he said.
Chief Herzog said the cameras are neither red light cameras, nor speed cameras.
He said he’s also aware some in the community may have concerns about privacy issues.
“We’re very aware that the potentials of hey, this is Big Brother. We don’t want to do that,” He said. “Our policies are more restrictive than almost every state except one that has laws on the books for automated license plate readers.”
Ohio doesn’t currently have a license plate reading law on the books. Herzog said he felt confident that West Chester Township’s would be in compliance, should a law ever be enacted.
The cameras come at a cost of $86,000 per year. Herzog said that is being paid for by TIF dollars and asset forfeiture.
“It’s criminals funding our activities to stop their criminal activities,” he said.
Herzog said the system is already working. He used the example of a fatal hit-and-run crash on Muhlhauser Road in May when Miguel Gomez-Alvarez allegedly killed a Cincinnati woman. He was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated vehicular homicide in November.
“We’ve had nationwide warrant pickups where the subject had weapons in the vehicle he wasn’t permitted to have," said Herzog. "The arrests were made because of the flock system. That’s in the short month and a half that we’ve had it active.”
Herzog said the photos collected remain in the system for 30-days, and they are purged after that.
