License Plate Recognition Technology helps bust suspects in Hanford

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Small cameras perched high above streets and intersections are helping fight crime.

Flock Safety is a company that offers Automated License Plate Recognition technology.

One of its clients is the Hanford Police Department.

"We've had them since January or February. We have about 18 of them now that cover most of our ingresses and egresses around our city," said Hanford Police Chief Parker Sever.

This week, the cameras helped Hanford Police arrest two suspects.

"It returned with a stolen vehicle out of Fresno. My officers were able to get into the area where the vehicle was and made a traffic stop on the vehicle," said Chief Sever.

Sever says since they started using the cameras, which have also been placed in areas that usually experience a lot of criminal activity, officers have been able to track down more than a dozen stolen vehicles.

Flock Safety has grown in popularity over the past few years.

The company says it is focused on helping Law Enforcement, but it does not assist in traffic enforcement, nor does it track vehicle registration information unless the car is listed on the stolen vehicle database.

"It's really good for reducing crime because many times somebody will steal a car or license plate and then drive into Hanford or whatever community you're in, drive around, steal from you, break into cars, do all those things," said Chief Sever.

The cameras, whether Flock or otherwise, are being used in cities across the Central Valley.

One reports it gets alerts about stolen vehicles on a weekly basis.

The technology has stepped up policing, allowing departments of all sizes to gain a bird's eye view of crime.

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