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Decatur police say newly installed Flock cameras helped identify vehicle suspects in recent burglaries and ATM theft
Summary
Police announced a 12-camera Flock network installed around the city this week and said footage and partner home cameras helped detectives identify a vehicle and suspects in a burglary and an ATM smash-and-grab at Lowe’s Marketplace.
Decatur Police said this week that a recently installed network of 12 Flock cameras helped officers identify vehicles and suspects tied to a string of vehicle burglaries and an ATM smash-and-grab.
Police Chief (title in meeting) told the council the city completed a multi-week approval process with the Texas Department of Public Safety and state officials and put 12 Flock cameras into service last week. After a neighborhood reported a burglary of a motor vehicle (BMV), residents’ home Ring-camera clips provided a close description of a vehicle. Police said Flock footage captured the vehicle and produced a license-plate image that detectives used in follow-up work.
The chief said detectives then linked the vehicle to a weekend ATM smash-and-grab at the Lowe’s Marketplace and, with the new camera feed available to officers, identified the vehicle “in a matter of seconds.” Detectives were able to identify individuals believed to be involved in the ATM theft and said some of the same people were linked to the earlier neighborhood BMVs.
Chief’s remarks said the camera system materially shortened investigators’ timelines: within days of installation detectives had actionable leads. He thanked the council for approving the technology and said officers now have access to the camera network for investigations. The department noted approval from DPS and the state was required before activating the cameras.
No arrests or charges were announced at the meeting beyond the department’s statement that detectives have identified individuals tied to the cases and that investigations are ongoing. Chief also asked council and staff to be aware of the costs, approvals and data-sharing parameters tied to camera systems when authorizing further deployments.
