PCPD to add 22 more cameras to the system.
On July 8, 2024, the City Commission passed a resolution funding the installation of License Plate Readers (LPRs) throughout Plant City. The Plant City Police Department (PCPD) set up 18 cameras along major Plant City traffic arteries and in the Community Redevelopment Agency. The purpose of the LPRs is to aid with alerts and police investigations.
The high-definition cameras can record a plate on a car traveling up to 100 miles per hour to provide PCPD with real-time intelligence. With this technology, PCPD can identify what is called a vehicle fingerprint—the color, make, model, type of vehicle, rims, missing license plates, covered plates, and more than 20 additional vehicle details, such as roof racks and bumper stickers. When a crime occurs in which the PCPD needs to locate a vehicle, they can enter a vehicle description and receive results from the LPR system.
In a case in early November, PCPD went to a residence from which an 80-year-old man had driven off without informing his family. He had been experiencing the onset of medical problems. PCPD put out a Silver Alert, and the Flock system was able to identify and locate where the vehicle had traveled in Plant City, then in Tampa, and later in Polk County, where Law Enforcement was able to make contact with the 80-year-old and return him to his family.
At the November 10 meeting, PCPD returned to the Commission to request approval and funding for more LPRs. “The Police Department is asking for an additional 22 License Plate Readers to be placed in and around the city,” Captain of Investigations Robert McLellan, said. “Currently, we have 18 that have been installed and two that are being prepared to be installed. They have benefited the Police Department in a vast majority of situations in assisting with locating and identifying those who are committing crimes in our city. The locations in which the cameras are going to be placed are strategically in areas that we have had known criminal activity, and those areas in which our officers and our detectives are working vigorously to identify those who are bringing harm to our city.”
PCPD plans to place the 22 cameras within the city and around its perimeter. They will be located on U.S. 92, Turkey Creek Road, and State Road 39, along with city streets, to include those in the Community Redevelopment Agency.
“Do you expect that the addition of the 22 new cameras is going to give us a higher percentage of return on identifying people who come into the community, that may not be a part of the community, read the license plate, and give us a greater opportunity to apprehend?” City Commissioner Bill Dodson asked.
“The officers and detectives of the department use our system as a tool to help investigate crimes that they are working on,” McLellan responded. “With the implementation of additional cameras, that provides us that much more of a tool to use to, yes, identify those that may be coming in and committing crimes in the city.”
The total cost of purchasing and installing the new cameras is $106,000. The annual subscription cost for these cameras to connect to and use the Flock LPR system is $70,000 per year. Money to cover the costs is available in the budget.
“You are talking about crimes that are being investigated that are current, but it also looks for license plates that are identified with a person that law enforcement in another jurisdiction is looking for?” Dodson asked.
“Yes, sir,” McLellan answered. “Those are what they call a hotlist, and those people are identified in the system as having warrants, or suspected of crimes, too.”
“I am trying to see if the cost is justified, since we already have cameras,” Vice Mayor Jason Jones said. “I know you mentioned a case last week. What else has this helped us within the community, as far as safety, since we have put these original ones in?”
“I could go into several of them,” McLellan said. “Some of the most noted ones are when the construction occurred on the north side of town in North Park Isle. We were having a hard time with those who were going in and stealing construction equipment and materials. Utilizing Flock there, we identified a vehicle and a suspect involved in some of those crimes. Our detectives then went into undercover mode and purchased those items that were stolen, then later, went back to his house and arrested him.”
That was not the only example. “There was a violent crime, a homicide, that occurred back in 2024, where we were working closely with the State Attorney’s Office with charging three subjects who were involved,” McLellan said. “One was charged. Two others were held off until the first one went through trial. When we got the authorization from the State Attorney’s Office, they allowed us to apprehend the other two subjects involved. Utilizing Flock, we were able to identify patterns of one of the subjects in the city, driving when he was going to and leaving from work. We successfully located the vehicle, because we had a time and a place, and we stopped him and took him into custody. The second subject of that investigation was located in Pasco County. Utilizing our resources and our partnership with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, we were able to locate him on the side of I-75 in a work detail. We took him into custody without any problems.”
“That is plenty. “If we can get more of those criminals off the streets, then this is a no-brainer for me,” Jones said. Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the funding.
