Flock cameras in Sabine Parish now number at least 5 with the addition of one on Hwy 171 in Florien. Mayor Eddie Jones just announced the latest camera, which are purportedly aimed at aiding law enforcement in crime fighting but have been controversial due to public concerns of mass surveillance. Like them, love them, dislike or hate them… they seem to be being embraced by government and as ai gets better, I feel like these cameras will become better, have more features, and go up in more places. It is easy to have mixed feelings about the cameras. I think they can do a lot of good and I have no doubt they can potentially save some lives and avert some crimes … the concerns are real too. They have understandably become a hot topic.
Here is the public announcement from the Village of Florien:
“The Village of Florien Flock Camera Project is complete. The project was a cooperative agreement grant project between the Town of Many and all other municipalities in the parish.
“A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader (ALPR) system that records vehicle data. It captures details like license plates, vehicle make, model, color, and unique features such as bumper stickers or dents. These cameras log information on passing cars to help law enforcement investigate crimes. They take photos of vehicles in public view and store information in a data base. Law enforcement use the connected network across communities to track stolen cars, investigate felonies, and locate missing persons. Flock cameras are not used for facial recognition, traffic enforcement, continuous video recording, or private property surveillance. The cameras are located near the red light in Florien.
Mayor Eddie Jones, Jr