LOVELAND, Ohio — Loveland police have installed six cameras around city limits capable of scanning passing cars and comparing license plate numbers and vehicle make, model and color to criminal databases in an attempt to proactively deter crime in the region.
The cameras could be hard to spot unless drivers know what to look for, but once they knew what the little black boxes on black metal poles were, some expressed distrust in the town's new safety feature.
"I think it is a little bit of an invasion of privacy," said resident David Danforth.
Danforth said he throws his full support behind efforts to crack down on crime, but the digital eyes around town seemed a bit excessive.
"The more that we allow stuff like this," he said, "the more it erodes that sense of freedom that we do have, and leads to that more of surveillance society."
The cameras were made by company Flock Safety. Spokesperson Holly Beilin said they have already been a common site in many communities.
"Flock Safety currently serves about 3,000 communities across the U.S.," she said.
Beilin said the Flock Safety cameras have been installed in roughly 150 Ohio communities. The cameras are often used to identify stolen cars, wanted individuals or missing persons based on information collected with their license plate.
She said the cameras are only capable of running plate numbers and getting easily viewable information like a car's make, model and color.
"They don't detect speed," Beilin said. "They also don't contain any facial recognition. They're not able to detect anything about pedestrians or people themselves."
Loveland Police Chief Michael Gabrielson said with 70% of crimes involving some type of car, the cameras could be the deciding factor in bringing criminals to justice.
"It's absolutely a force multiplier as they call it," he said. "So, yes. We have installed six cameras in our jurisdiction, and currently, we are seeing about 20,000 unique reads a day."
Gabrielson said they believe they're able to scan 80% of the traffic coming into town, and if the cameras prove to be a good resource for crime prevention and apprehension of suspects, they could install more.
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