Village streets to get safety cameras

The Grafton Police Department is installing five cameras at strategic locations in the village to assist with law enforcement and reduce crime. 

The department partnered with technology startup Flock Safety, a public safety operating system that works with more than 500 police agencies in more than 1,000 cities. 

“The addition of the Flock Safety cameras will be a force multiplier for our agency,” Grafton Police Chief Jeff Caponera said.

“Our goal is to get the word out that if you plan to come to Grafton and conduct nefarious behavior, you will likely get caught. We have cameras at every point of ingress and egress into the village so we will know when a stolen vehicle or wanted person enters our village.

“Likewise, if you are involved in criminal activity in our village, we only need a partial vehicle description to help identify you.”

Officials said that when a stolen or wanted vehicle is spotted by one of the cameras, Grafton officers will receive an instant notification and a description of the vehicle within seconds.

The cameras use Vehicle Fingerprint technology, which identifies the details on any vehicle that passes by the camera, including the make, vehicle type, color and license plate and other unique features, such as a roof rack, trailer hitch and tinted windows. 

Caponera said the cameras will help his department remain dedicated to community engagement and public safety because the cameras are a more modern and affordable tool to help fight crime. 

Officials would not specify the exact location of the cameras, but said some of them are positioned in the retail sectors of the village. 

The department also encourages local businesses and neighboring communities to invest in the technology to provide more evidence for crimes in the area.

Grafton Sgt. Patrick Brock said the cameras are not used for facial recognition, traffic enforcement or traffic citations for unpaid fines or for broken tail lights. The information will not be sold to third party entities such as repossession companies or the U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement Agency (ICE).

In a press release, Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley stated that his company’s objective is to provide ethical policing.

“We are committed to building ethically-designed and unbiased technology to help law enforcement and private citizens eliminate crime and we are happy to do so with community-focused agencies like Grafton.”

Each camera costs $2,500 per year, which includes installation and maintenance.