Grundy County Sheriff’s Office has new tool to combat crime

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department is excited to announce it has partnered with Flock Safety, a company that provides an Automated License Plate Reader service, according to a recent press release.

The Sheriff’s Department has 10 mini cameras mounted on poles with solar panels deployed strategically throughout the county.

These cameras provide deputies with real-time data to capture the make, model, color and license plate from the rear of vehicles traveling throughout the county. They capture actionable evidence and send real-time alerts if a wanted or stolen vehicle passes by these cameras. The alerts are sent to every Sheriff’s Department deputy within seconds. The cameras are not used for traffic enforcement, they do not take photos of the vehicle occupants and there is no facial recognition technology. The Sheriff’s Office says the system will not be used to track citizens’ movement, the data is securely stored in cloud, automatically deleted every 30 days and is not shared or sold to third parties.

Per the release, deputies will be able to use this system for proactive and reactive crime fighting. This system will also provide information when deputies investigate crime.

Plans for a second phase include adding 10 additional cameras in 2023 and a third phase is expected to at 10 more in 2024.