SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk police have more than 200 cameras across the city, including 90 fixed license plate readers and 208 marked police vehicles equipped with the technology.
The cameras photograph the backs of vehicles and license plates, scanning for stolen vehicles or plates, as well as wanted and missing people. According to the department's Flock Transparency Portal, more than 700,000 vehicles have been detected by the license plate readers to date.
LPR data is kept for 21 days, then deleted and purged, unless it is preserved as evidence.
Michael Jay Sanders Jr., who I met walking at Seaboard Coastline Trail, said the technology is a mixed bag.
"I like them and I dislike them. I mean, you can't make everyone happy."
Sanders said the cameras serve a purpose despite their reach.
"So much stuff happen and you need a better way to find some people. It may be like really freaking intrusive on society but need it just for the time and days that we live in."
Live-feed cameras are another type the city uses. They look similar to license plate readers but provide a live view. Police have them in large parks, along trails and at major intersections near schools, including at Lake Meade Park.
One woman I spoke with at Seaboard Coastline Trail said the cameras make her uneasy.
"It's a little, I mean off putting I guess. Like I've never seen really cameras in walking trails and stuff like that before."
She added that the surveillance feels out of place in certain settings.
"I guess not really use to being watched on trails and stuff like that. Maybe on like major roads and stuff, but just walking my dog and stuff, just not use to it."
Live video footage is kept for seven days, unless it is preserved as evidence for a court case.
Gunshot detection is another technology the department uses. These systems have no cameras and rely only on audio to detect possible gunfire or fireworks and alert officers. The systems are focused in the core downtown area and a neighborhood around College Drive.
During Wednesday's city council meeting, Sgt. Paul Helvestine described how the technology aided him in the field.
"I responded to a gunshot fire call based on the alert for gunshot detection, and where it placed the pin in the middle of the road is where I located several shell casings."
The public can access SPD's Community Portal through the city's website, which shows data from the cameras.
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