MANSFIELD — The Richland County Sheriff’s Office continues to invest in assistive camera technology.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved agreements for the sheriff’s office to expand its number of Flock license-plate reader cameras around Richland County.
Capt. James Sweat said the $39,000 contract will be covered by a $38,500 state grant and the remaining $500 was included in the department’s 2025 budget.
Sweat said the sheriff’s office will now have a total of 16 Flock cameras under its control in unincorporated areas around the county, expanding a program it began in 2022.
Cameras send information automatically and in real-time to dispatchers and law enforcement officers in their cruisers when it detects a vehicle that is being sought by law enforcement.
For example, if a car is reported stolen in Mansfield, or other communities, the information about the vehicle is entered into the national Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS).
If the Flock Safety camera detects that vehicle, it will notify the appropriate law enforcement agency and provide photo evidence, location, time, etc.
In another example, if a neighborhood has a string of thefts and residents can describe the vehicle, even without a plate number, that information can be entered into the system to include unique information like bumper stickers, decals and roof racks.
Armed with that information, the system will notify law enforcement if a vehicle matching those details is spotted by one of the cameras.
Several police departments in communities around Richland County have their own cameras and cooperate with RCSO to share information and vice versa, according to Sweat.
“This technology is license-plate readers that are on the roadways at specific points throughout the county,” Sweat said. “And it’s not just our cameras that we have access to.
“We have access to everyone that is on the system, so there’s thousands of cameras throughout the United States that we have access to.”
This technology has helped the sheriff’s office be proactive in its investigations, Sweat said, including the warrant task force.
“If we know what kind of vehicles they’re driving and the license-plate numbers, we can enter that into the system then it gives us an alert every time they pass one of those cameras,” he said.
As far as possible concern from the public regarding officers misusing the technology, Sweat said there are layers of security prohibiting access to the cameras.
Officers must cite a specific case number, which is audited, before being granted access to review certain data.
County jail security
In other business Tuesday, commissioners approved two agreements with Securitas for its services at the Richland County Jail.
Securitas technology is in the county jail presently and has been for several years, said Richland County administrator Andrew Keller.
Both contracts approved by commissioners pertain to jail security — a 60-month agreement for software maintenance and the second a one-year contract for video monitoring.
“Basically it’s the system that operates the cameras, doors and all of the electronic components that go with the operation of the jail,” Sweat said.
The video monitoring contract cost an annual fee of $8,038.37 and takes effect in June, Keller said. Software maintenance is a monthly charge of $6,800, effective April 1.
“We’re already paying for and receiving this service, so it’s going to be seamless on the jail side,” Keller said.