Fargo Approves Permanent Use of License Plate Readers to Aid Investigations – InForum

Fargo Approves Permanent Use of License Plate Readers to Aid Investigations – InForum

FARGO – License plate readers and cameras will remain on the streets of Fargo.

The Fargo Police Department’s request to fund it on a full-time basis was approved by the City Commission.

It’s surveillance, but in cases with probable cause. The “flock” cameras and license plate readers have been in use on a trial basis at select intersections in Fargo since June.

The city commission recently approved more than $100,000 for permanent operations.

“It allows us to be on the lookout in public places and look for people who may be driving crime or even people who may be missing or at risk,” said Capt. Bill Ahlfeldt of the Fargo Police Department.

An alert was sent out early Thursday afternoon, Oct. 3, to let people know about a missing teenager who was last seen in north Fargo.

In this situation, the police can then go back and try to find the person through their cameras.

“This type of technology could be used to look back and see if that person may have walked past some cameras in a particular area. If this missing person was in a vehicle, we could enter that vehicle’s license plate number or vehicle type into the Flock system,” Ahlfeldt said.

The cameras are not designed to catch speeders miles away; only officers on site can do that. They are primarily intended to make larger investigations more efficient, he said.

“In one case, we had an elderly missing woman who was in a vehicle that was found literally right after the call came in and we found out which vehicle she was in. A license plate reader was hit, and the officer was right where that vehicle was,” Ahlfeldt said.

If an investigation goes beyond city limits or to another state and that community has flock cameras, Fargo can access them too.

“We’ve had well over 40 successes and since I presented it (to the City Commission) we’ve had even more successes,” he said.

These cameras form a real-time crime center, but police say it is not constantly staffed. They also emphasize that they often need community participation to help with investigations.