A citywide network of cameras in public locations combined with new license plate-reading technology could help the Sioux Falls Police Department more effectively investigate crimes.
The idea is “leveraging technology, existing technology and infrastructure in meaningful ways,” Police Chief Jon Thum told the Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday.
The city of Sioux Falls has a network of existing cameras inside and outside of public buildings, in city parks and on recreation trails, within public works infrastructure and on many intersections and arterial roads.
What already provided “a great outlook for road conditions and traffic” increasingly has been used as an investigative tool for police using video footage collected to solve crimes, Thum said.
Footage is reviewed daily and has been used to solve a number of high-profile cases along with lesser crimes, he said.
Cameras have been used to solve a sexual assault on the recreation trail in addition to a recent bank robbery, in which the suspect was tracked to a hotel within 30 minutes of when the robbery occurred and was arrested while the cash was still in his hotel room.
In another situation, a call that initially came in as a vehicle accident was reviewed on video and determined to involve a pedestrian, allowing the response and resources sent to be escalated, Thum said.
“(It) really changed that response … to a high priority to get necessary aid there immediately,” he said.
The Sioux Falls Police Department is beginning to use a real-time information center to monitor its camera network both live and in response mode. That’s being driven by the growth of the city, the department’s caseload and the need to optimize staffing, Thum said.
The city has studied similar approaches in other communities to learn how the technology “can be used to produce a safer community,” he said.
“This whole infrastructure is augmented and enhanced adding automated license plate readers,” Thum said, adding that they “help us complete the picture.”
The city is proposing to contract with Flock Safety for leased licensed plate-reading technology, a provider chosen because it offers an investigative tool that protects privacy, he said.
Data is pulled in from the National Crime Information Center that allows police to identify the license plates of wanted subjects, Amber Alerts, missing person and stolen vehicle cases, for example.
The system does not use facial recognition or collect biometric information, nor is it a speed, red light or parking violation camera.
“They are simply point-in-time pictures of license plates and vehicles that can be used as investigative tools as necessary,” Thum said.
The city is taking a conservative approach with the technology, he said.
Data will be deleted after 30 days and cannot be sold. A policy is prepared to specify which users can search data and why, which will be verified through monthly audits. A transparency portal will be available to the public that includes how many cameras are used and how many searches are done.
“We understand the importance of doing this the right way,” Thum said.
The Sioux Falls City Council approved the contract for the license plate readers Tuesday. It’s expected to take several months before operations begin in Sioux Falls.
In the meantime, multiple crimes that took place in Sioux Falls have been investigated recently thanks to cameras in other locations. A Sioux Falls homicide suspect was found in South Carolina using a license plate reader, and a suspect accused in two violent rape cases was found north of Sioux Falls in Madison.
“We’re seeing other people catch our bad guys with this technology in their community,” Thum said.
The future of police technology is exciting, he added, pointing to advancements such as body cameras that can translate languages, streaming technology available through body and in-car cameras, GPS-location technology for officers and the ability to share camera feeds within the real-time information center.
Businesses also will have an option to connect with the new Sioux Falls system if they choose to make their camera feeds available during emergencies, Thum said.
Those abiding by laws shouldn’t be concerned about the new technology, he added.
“My hope is the criminal element in our community would have something to worry about.”
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