DeKalb police report 183 Flock license-plate cameras installed; plans for larger real‑time crime center

DeKalb County Police told the Board of Commissioners’ Employee Relations and Public Safety (IRPS) Committee that the county has 183 Flock license‑plate reader (LPR) cameras in its inventory and 146 of those are currently in service, with the rest pending state permitting.

Chief Padrick said the cameras were placed based on crime «hot‑spot» data and some locations requested and funded by individual commissioners. He told the committee that the installations pending are on state routes and require Georgia Department of Transportation approval; county‑route cameras are operational. "The ones that are listed as pending ... are on state routes and they have to have Georgia Department of Transportation approval," Padrick said.

The department said the county is about 80% complete on installations. Chief Padrick gave cost details: an annual subscription now runs $3,000 per camera and the one‑time installation cost is $650 per camera. He said repair costs vary by damage and that there have been roughly five repair instances, only one of which the department characterized as vandalism.

Commissioners asked about interoperability and future camera strategy. Padrick said DeKalb has memorandums of understanding with other agencies through Flock and access to the metro‑wide Flock database, which allows regional searches and alerts when a hit matches an active BOLO in the system. He said the department is planning a larger real‑time crime center that would expand beyond LPR technology to include pan‑tilt‑zoom (PTZ) cameras and other video sources so staff in the center could monitor activity and provide operational information to officers before they arrive on scene.

Commissioner Ted Terry said commissioners had recommended many of the camera locations based on constituent complaints but acknowledged the department prioritized hot‑spot crime areas. Terry and other commissioners discussed using the expanded system to address late‑night street racing and intersection takeovers; Padrick said a real‑time crime center would improve the department’s ability to track such activity and provide faster information to officers.

The chief noted limitations to automated cross‑jurisdiction alerts: a Flock hit in a neighboring county does not automatically notify DeKalb officers unless that BOLO is entered and matched to DeKalb cameras. In practice, Padrick said, officers and supervisors notify communications when they identify a likely travel corridor so neighboring jurisdictions can be alerted.

The department also reported it is using mobile surveillance trailer platforms (two currently in operation) and anticipates acquiring more as part of the broader real‑time crime center plan. Commissioners asked the department to return to the committee with updates and specific planned locations so districts and constituents can be notified.

Proponents said the system helps investigators trace suspects across jurisdictions; cost, privacy, and interagency coordination were raised as implementation considerations.

Ending: The committee did not take a vote on policy changes. Staff said they will bring updates on permitting, funding and real‑time crime center milestones to future committee meetings.