If you are a Parkland student or staff member, you may have received an email last week pertaining to the new Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) being installed on Parkland’s campus.
As stated in the mass email, that was sent out by Troy Daniels, The ALPR system is being put in place with the intent, “…to solve and reduce crime on campus and in the surrounding community.”
Parklands Chief of Police, Troy Daniels says, “Several other local police departments are already using these cameras, and they have been successful in providing leads to help solve significant crimes as well as catch those committing crimes.”
Not only have ALPRs helped the Champaign community, but they are also serving the Parkland community.
As stated before, ALPRs have been in the community since last year and have already helped solve crimes in the area. For example, a digital reporter for WCIA, Bradley Zimmerman stated, “ALPRs aided in the arrest of another person for arson, helped recover 17 stolen vehicles, and helped officers locate an endangered missing person. Nearly a quarter of the crimes ALPRs helped to solve included illegally possessed guns.”
The announcement of these devices being placed on campus was sent out after the recent mass shooting, that took place at Michigan State University. As stated in Daniel’s email, “Parkland’s Board of Trustees has recently approved the purchase and installation of ALPR cameras, manufactured by Flock Safety.” ALPRs seem to be one way that Parkland College can provide the community with a safe campus.
Now, you may be wondering, what can ALPRs track?
The system sends an automatic message to Parkland Police whenever it has detected:
- A stolen vehicle
- One associated with a wanted subject from a crime database
- A vehicle associated with an AMBER or Silver missing persons alert
The system does NOT track:
- Speed
- Expired registration tags
- Stop sign violations
- Traffic light violations
- People or faces
A freshman at Parkland College, Karlee Westendorf, gives her insight into how she feels about the new installation, “It 100% makes me feel safer. Especially after everything that happened at Michigan State, it truly is comforting to know that Parkland has their students’ safety in mind. I think that ALPRs are a great idea and will provide comfort and safety to many students here at Parkland.”
Another student, Dreah Dunn, discusses similar feelings, “The ALPRs are a terrific addition to the campus. After reading about them and learning more, I see no reason we should not have them. I see no cons in this addition if the cameras are being used for exactly what they say they are being used for. Stopping crime and providing safety in the area should be at the top of Parkland’s concerns.”
More information about Flock Safety ALPR is available at www.flocksafety.com. For more information about Parkland College visit, www.parkland.edu.
