Flock may soon assist with local crimes

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

Child abductions, stolen vehicles, loud music complaints, and other nefarious crimes could have their chances of getting away with matters in the area significantly decreased if Lockhart and/or Caldwell County subscribe to a relatively new technology that reads flagged license plates for their involvement with such misbehavior.

Flock Technologies, founded in 2017, is a license plate reader that does not involve facial recognition for any invasion of privacy concerns. The product can read a license plate up to a quarter-of-a-mile from its post, which includes a 10- to 12-foot pole about four inches in diameter, a solar plate at its top, and a camera about the size of a milk carton.

Richard Kllugman, a retired aerospace engineer who worked with military aircraft, has a Flock system and believes it would be beneficial to all area law enforcement agencies to do likewise.

“My motivation in paying for this out-of-pocket was there are a lot of nefarious activities going on in our state, our town, in our country,” Klugman said. “I don’t want to see another 9/11. This can help law enforcement.”

The Flock system networks with other systems and provides an umbrella coverage of license plate reading.

The Lockhart Police Department, according to Chief Gary Williamson, is looking into the Flock safety system. Sheriff Mike Lane of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department said a grant recently received will help purchase as many as five systems to be strategically located around the county.

Some agencies, including the State of Texas, already have permission to view Klugman’s Flock system, which has its data stored in the cloud. License plates that are flagged for whatever reason have messages sent to local departments in about 45 seconds.

A Flock safety system retails for about $2,500 for a year of service. Flock maintains ownership of the service. There is also a $600 installation fee, and Klugman estimates about $400 in taxes.

“Flock turned down a giant contract because of facial recognition, so they are putting their money where their mouth is,” Klugman said.

Flock said its technology is a holistic approach to solving crime. It can be placed wherever the purchaser chooses on his or her property. It is said to provide protection for schools, parking lots, neighborhoods, complexes, and business retail.

Home Owner Associations (HOA’s) are using Flock nationwide to keep crime out.

Klugman used an example if issued a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) for a certain license plate for a child abduction, and a system read the tag in Lockhart, local authorities would be notified of the location.

“It’s been a positive for the community and for multiple police departments,” Klugman said. “It takes away the invisibility of criminals moving around. It can even read little stickers on vehicles’ windows. It keeps track of dates, too.”

Flock handles procurement, permitting, installation, maintenance, user training, and more for the annual subscription. Flock professionals build products and design systems with checks and balances to ensure the ethical use of its technology. The systems are fully integrated and detect, decode, and deliver evidence to the “right person at the right time.”

The Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, Linda Gorton, said, “(Flock has) done a lot to help the victims of crime and that’s what we’re all about.”

Bruce Krefting, an HOA member at Beverly Hills (California) Estates II, said, “Before we went with Flock, we had trailers stolen, bicycles stolen, porch pirates, petty theft, and in the two years we’ve had the Flock system, no crime at all.”

Matt Murray, Chief of Police in Yakima, Washington, said, “This is the single greatest change since DNA. What this system does is a game-changer.”

Other testimonies include a license plate being flagged in Indiana that led to the arrest of a 28-year-old who had sexually molested a 12-year-old.

Also, a triple-shooting suspect was nabbed in Georgia thanks to Flock alerting local police of its tag reading.

Since adding Flock, Norfolk, Virginia’s crime rate has been reduced by 24 percent, and Yakima, Washington by 26 percent.