License Plate Reading Cameras Approved In Broken Arrow To Help Police Solve Crime

The Broken Arrow Police Department is getting another tool that will help them investigate and even prevent crime. The city just approved a contract to install Flock cameras around the city.

Broken Arrow signed a one-year contract with Flock Safety to bring in five of the license plate reading cameras. These cameras are the same kind that other cities in the area, including Tulsa, have installed.

The cameras take pictures of license tags, as well as images of the vehicles, and notify police if the vehicle is wanted for any reason.

The department already has other cameras, but the five Flock cameras that the city will be getting can be moved around town if necessary.

The police department already has a plan for using them, according to Broken Arrow Police Chief, Brandon Berryhill.

"The Flock Safety cameras themselves, we’re going to be using those to move around town for hotspots. The other cameras that we have are more stationary that are going to be on major intersections," Chief Berryhill said.

Overall, the goal with these cameras is to create a real-time crime center for Broken Arrow police.

"For us, it’s going to be a real-time crime prevention center. This type of technology and networking these cameras together and having them share information with other agencies is transformative for law-enforcement much like the advent of the new radio that we use compared to call boxes back in the day. So it’s a transformative move and shift for law-enforcement," Chief Berryhill said.

Chief Berryhill expects these cameras to arrive and be installed in the next 30 to 60 days.

The city is also doing a 60 day pilot program with these cameras and can terminate the contract within the first 60 days if there is a problem.