Attachments

20211209-111450-cc-license plate camera resolution.pdf

EAST PROVIDENCE — The City Council, at its December 7 forum, eventually decided to table a proposal by the administration of Mayor Bob DaSilva, and supported by the East Providence Police Department, to purchase an automatic license plate detection system from the tech outfit Flock Group Inc.

EPPD Chief Christopher Francesconi led the council through a conversation about the proposal (see attached), but in the end the body opted not to vote on a resolution authorizing the administration to enter into an initial two-year, $84,000 agreement, deciding to allow for further study and consideration on the matter into the new year.

Flock has a relationship with nearby municipalities Cranston, Pawtucket and Woonsocket. The company offers two versions of its cameras: “sparrow,” which is geared towards the private sector,” and “falcon,” described as “law enforcement grade” with the real-time features.

“I’ve looked into these cameras quite a bit and they appear to be a tremendous public safety tool that have shown great value in our neighboring communities preventing, solving, detecting crime. And we’re starting to see a deterrent effect with these cameras,” Francesconi said.

Flock is connected to a federal law enforcement data base. The company has a presence in 46 states and claims its program has reduced crime as much as 60 percent in some locations. The program is used in approximately 1,400 municipalities by over 1,000 police departments across the country.

A representative for the company said the singular goal of the system is to reduce crime. The cameras are focused close-up and almost entirely on the rear of vehicles. He also claimed Flock does not sell any of the information gathered, that data is only retained for 30 days and there is no facial recognition component.

Francesconi said the locations for as many as 16 cameras have been mapped out for potential placement throughout the city geared at the main entry points from Rumford to Riverside. The technology is near “real-time,” sending alerts within 5-25 seconds. It can distinguish the color, bumper sticker locations, roof rack and make of vehicles.

Francesconi, using an example of the Flock system’s effectiveness, said Cranston recently solved two bank robberies on the same day by utilizing the cameras. In East Providence, he envisions the system to aid in such things as stolen vehicles and a recent spate of catalytic converter thefts. The chief, as well, said the cameras have been a deterrent in the surrounding communities that have them, almost funneling criminal activities to those that don’t, like here.

“It’s a great investigatory tool for us to work off of,” the chief said.

As a means of implementing safeguards to avoid any potential misuse within his department, Francesconi said only detectives and certain supervisors would have access to the data. And any searches of the system would be logged and tracked.

Ward 4 Councilor Ricardo Mourato asked for the matter to be tabled, which it was. The issue will be discussed again and voted upon at the council’s February 15 meeting.

A current Bristol Police officer and referring to his 24 years in law enforcement, Mourtato said from his professional perspective, “I get it. I like it.” He added it was his opinion the cameras could be “more impactful” than the aforementioned speed control units.

However, as a councilor, he wanted to meet with his constituents, to “see how they feel about it” and have “a little time to get some feedback” from residents. He also mentioned reservations about the system expressed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups as a reason why he preferred more time to review the matter.

Ward 3 Councilor Nate Cahoon supported tabling the measure, while requesting the council be provided information on so-called “false positives” and “security breaches” by hackers.

Likewise backing deferral of the matter, Ward 2 Councilor Anna Sousa requested the EPPD provide the council with a listing of the 16 potential sites for the cameras.

In urging the council to expedite the process Napoleon Gonsalves, the Director of Administration from the mayor’s office, noted the Flock system could aid with other important law enforcement items besides solving crimes.

“If we could just as fast we can get this done because it is a valuable tool, it could save lives,” said Gonsalves. “You have ‘amber’ alerts, ‘silver’ alerts, that go out there that could be life endangering events that could come through the city of East Providence that we could identify quickly.”