ROCKLAND, Maine — While there are no license-plate reading cameras on streets in Knox County, the Rockland Police Department has one dashboard camera that can flag certain motor vehicles.
The city obtained the Axon cruiser camera about five to six months ago, Police Chief Tim Carroll said. Axon provides the body cameras that all Rockland officers wear while on duty.
Currently, one cruiser has a plate reading camera but others are planned for additional cruisers.
The city renewed its contract with Axon during the past year after five years of using the company’s body-worn cameras. The cost of all the cameras is $48,000 a year.
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The license plate-reading camera on the cruiser will alert officers if that vehicle has been reported stolen, is connected to a missing person, or if it is connected to a serious crime.
The camera did result in the recovery of one stolen vehicle, the chief noted. An officer was driving up North Main Street and the camera “binged” when it passed a vehicle in a driveway.
The information collected by the camera is stored for 21 days and then is erased, as required by state law.
Only supervisors and detectives can run a check on vehicles that are flagged. Deputy Chief Alex Gaylor regularly audits searches to make sure they abide by policies.
The department has policies on the use of the camera. The camera is not a Flock one which has received considerable criticism for their misuse. Those complaints often centered on the cameras that some communities had on utility poles that can track the routes that motorists take.
Gaylor noted that officers are not able to memorize each license plate of stolen and wanted vehicles, so the camera is a major assistance on those types of cases.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Curt Andrick said the department has no license plate-reading cameras. Camden Police Chief Allen Weaver Jr. said the Camden department has no such cameras. Rockport interim Police Chief James Greeley said the department does not have license plate-reading cameras. And Thomaston Police Chief Eric Quatrano said Thomaston has no such cameras.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.