By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — Flock Safety met with several Homeowners Association (HOA) leaders on Thursday, June 24, 2021, to present an idea to help curb crime in Trussville.
The idea is for HOA’s to invest in Flock Safety devices that include tag readers. The cameras take snapshots of vehicles that come through the area and automatically alert law enforcement of stolen tags, stolen vehicles, sex offenders, drivers with outstanding warrants, and more. They can also alert authorities when vehicles in a “hotlist” are detected.
Several neighborhoods in Trussville already have Flock Safety, including Tutwiler, Windsong, Magnolia South, Sherman Oaks, Wynwood and Old Mill. The city of Trussville also has cameras around the perimeter of the city but Flock Safety’s Jake Laughlin said it is important for citizens to take responsibility as well.
“I always use the example of, if you have roaches in your house and the exterminator comes and sprays, it will kill the roaches,” said Laughlin. “But, they could come back if you continue to leave that food out on the counter.”
Laughlin said that is where individual neighborhoods have a job to do.
“At some point, we, the residents, have to take responsibility for our own actions,” Laughlin continued.
After several car break-ins in the city, Police Chief Eric Rush said he believes the cameras have already proven they work.
“This is a 24/7 neighborhood watch,” said Rush. “That’s what this camera does…I think this is great technology. It’s really a game-changer.”
Police are able to use data from Flock Safety to investigate crimes in subdivisions by obtaining images and times that vehicles or people enter and leave a neighborhood.
Representatives from Stockton, Misty Ridge, Rivercrest and Carrington attended the meeting Thursday. They asked questions about privacy, storage and control of the cameras and data. Flock Safety does not have access to footage from cameras and only those given permission by the HOA are allowed to access it. The Trussville Police Department would be given access to fight crime with access to the data.
Laughlin said he began working for Flock after seeing its success firsthand. He said he truly believes in the product.
“They were building these cameras on their dining room table and they asked if I would like to test them,” Laughlin said.
After placing 10 cameras in his Atlanta neighborhood, it wasn’t long before Laughlin saw the power of the technology.
“Three months later, we had a home burglary and a lady announced on Nextdoor that her house had gotten broken into around 1 o’clock and she was asking for doorbell footage,” said Laughlin. “The police got there within minutes. The guys had broken in stolen all of her jewelry out of her bedroom and bolted.”
Laughlin said some Ring doorbell footage captured footage of a maroon minivan. He looked in the Flock system for a maroon minivan and found images of it. After sending that information to the police, the suspect was arrested the next day. Laughlin said all of the woman’s jewelry was recovered from the vehicle
Seeing the success of the system inspired him to be a part of the company.
Alabama Power was also at the meeting to explain to HOA’s that devices can be attached to existing poles and charges for the devices can be added to the HOA’s monthly power bill. The cameras are $2,750 a year. That would be $229.17 per month added to the Alabama Power bill.
The cameras store data for 30 days and data can be saved on a computer.
Flock Safety is operating in 40 states and 1,200 cities nationwide. Over 700 law enforcement agencies use the technology.
For more on Flock Safety, go to FlockSafety.com.
