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As is often the case, social media was abuzz last week throughout Clark County. 

In particular, one topic captured the attention of many. 

Flock cameras, installed as a matter of public safety, were being heavily discussed. 

“These cameras do enhance the safety of our citizens,” said Winchester Police Department Chief James Hall. 

Flock cameras, which got their name when developed by the company Flock Safety in 2017, are fixed cameras utilized as Automated License Plate Recognition technology (APLR) to law enforcement agencies and certain neighborhood associations. 

Their popularity has grown exponentially, with installation in over 4,000 cities in more than 40 states across the U.S. 

Locally, along with Clark County, they can are found in places such as Madison County, Montgomery County, Bourbon County, Jessamine County and Woodford County. 

Fayette County, the second-most populated county in Kentucky, has over 100 cameras. 

Hall spoke in further detail about their purpose. 

“They [are] a passive system, which basically means that the camera is constantly running,” Hall said. “It’s not really a camera in the typical sense. It just looks at license plates.” 

The Flock camera looks for information such as plates that have been flagged as a result of a stolen vehicle, missing person’s report, Amber Alert, person involved in domestic violence, and more. 

“The camera will see that and alert our dispatch center. Our dispatch center then can notify officers,” Hall said. 

Thus far, the installation – which has been placed by Flock Safety based on where it is determined to be an advantageous location – has reaped benefits, according to Hall.

“We’ve already stopped three stolen vehicles out of other jurisdictions just based on these Flock cameras,” Hall said. “They’re well worth it. It helps us communicate with other agencies and aid them in their investigation…and they can aid in our investigations as well.” 

While last week might have been the start of the conversation, it is not the start or finish of the cameras’ usage throughout the community. 

“We started communicating with Flock [Safety] after the [city] budget was approved last year. We had the first one put up in front of the police station [approximately] in October,” Hall said. “Since then, we’ve had three more that are installed…we’ve [currently got] four in the community right now. We have two more that we have sites approved for. We’re just waiting on the install.” 

Regarding some concerns, Hall also responded to concerns about the Flock cameras. 

“I know people are concerned about law enforcement watching and constant surveillance,” Hall said. “We have no ability to look at a live view…like the one [on Bypass Road] for instance.”