Sheriff—s Office Seeks County Funding for Flock Safety License-plate Cameras; Finance Office to Explore Options

Bedford County officials on Tuesday heard a presentation on Flock Safety license-plate reader cameras and were asked to identify a funding path for an initial deployment that the company says would cost about $3,000 per camera per year and $24,000 annually for an eight-camera minimum.

The presentation came from Will Pepper, territory manager for Flock Safety, who told commissioners the company—s cameras and software can provide near-real-time vehicle alerts tied to NCIC entries and a vehicle "fingerprint" method that can return hits even when a plate is missing or partial. "Ten percent of the reported crimes in the U.S. were solved using Flock Safety's products," Pepper said during his remarks.

Why it matters: Bedford County deputies and detectives said the tool could speed investigations into stolen vehicles, help locate missing or endangered people and produce investigative leads in burglaries and drug trafficking cases that now cross county lines. Chief Deputy Elliott described prior local incidents in which access to Flock coverage…