GCSO gets OK to buy license plate reading cameras

Graham County Sheriff's Office will be installing Flock Safety license plate readers at the entry points to the Gila Valley, thanks to a state grant. - Contributed Photo/Flock Safety

SAFFORD — On Monday, the Graham County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an agreement between the Graham County Sheriff’s Office and Flock Safety for license plate reading technology.

“Some of them might get beeped because somebody’s driven across the center line once or twice, but then we might also come up with something of a more serious fashion, like a homicide suspect or loads of drugs coming through, or things like that,” Sheriff P.J. Allred said.

According to the Flock Safety website, the cameras will capture images of license plates — including partial plates, temporary plates and covered plates — and other vehicle data such as make, model and color.

When searching for a specific vehicle — such as during an Amber or Silver alert — law enforcement can then search the image data base to see if the vehicle has entered the local jurisdiction.

The system can also network with other law enforcement agencies, as well as privately-owned cameras in neighborhoods to track a vehicle’s travel.

The funds for the cameras come from a $3.1 million grant GCSO received from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.

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