Imagine a scenario where a vehicle reported to be connected to a murder in New Orleans is spotted in Houston on one of the many Flock LPR (license plate recognition) cameras installed throughout the city. Flock cameras are programmed to alert law enforcement to vehicles that are connected to crimes. In this case, the vehicle in question was detected near the Westheimer/Gessner intersection. HPD’s crime suppression task force moved in to search area apartment communities and neighborhoods, where they found the vehicle. They were able to move in undercover and arrest the individual while he was still in his car, resulting in the arrest of a suspect connected to an out-of-state murder that happened less than 48 hours previously.
That’s just one example of how the Houston Police Department is using technology to bring criminals to justice and work smarter – not harder – with existing manpower resources. Today, there are more than 3,500 Flock cameras installed throughout the greater Houston region, including Westchase District.
Law enforcement officers can program the Flock system to deliver an alert for a specific vehicle by its license plate or by its make, model, color, or aftermarket accessories. They may only have a partial plate number, but when the vehicle matching that description drives past a Flock camera, local law enforcement is alerted.
“Flock cameras have been a game-changer for law enforcement,” noted Westchase District’s Vice President of Public Safety, Mark Hubenak. “The cameras are strategically placed and networked, giving dozens of local law enforcement agencies the power to share that information. If there is a drive-by shooting in Pasadena, the shooter might be arrested in Pearland, because his vehicle was noted in the Flock system and an alert went out the minute that vehicle drove past a camera.”
The effectiveness is in the network
District F City Council Member Tiffany Thomas and District G Council Member Mary Nan Huffman have installed cameras in the Westchase area, and several private property owners have installed them as well. When you add those cameras to the ones that have been installed by Westchase District, the area has excellent camera coverage, according to HPD Lt. Christian Dorton, who is responsible for the Flock network. “The locations of the cameras complement each other. We don’t want anything that overlaps, but we also don’t want any gaps,” said Dorton.
Flock cameras have been around since 2017 and have become one of the best tools in use by law enforcement today. “Our cameras provide the ability to get critical and objective evidence to law enforcement in real time,” said Dale Anzalone, regional sales manager for Flock Safety. The cameras provide law enforcement a picture of the vehicle, a clear up-close image of the vehicle license plate, its current location, and how the vehicle is associated with a crime. “By design, we help them find the needle in the haystack,” Anzalone added.
Reducing crime and catching criminals
The locations for Westchase District’s Flock cameras were all strategically chosen near “hotspots” of illegal activity or roadways into the District. “We want to catch criminals before they come into the District,” said Hubenak. “By watching a vehicle’s movements, law enforcement may learn that a wanted criminal goes to visit his mother every day at a certain time and place. Or perhaps he’s staying with a girlfriend. Once they know his movements, it’s much easier to move in and arrest him,” noted Hubenak.
Dorton cites multiple examples where LPR cameras provided law enforcement with the tools necessary to make an arrest. “A lot of crooks work their way down Westheimer,” Dorton said. “With the help of Flock cameras, we were able to negate two criminal groups that were responsible for a lot of violent crime in Uptown. Another criminal was connected to dozens of car break-ins in one weekend. In those cases, we arrested them before they were able to make it to Westchase,” he added.
