AUBURN, Wash. — The Auburn Police Department is lauding the success of its new license plate reading cameras, saying they've been a "huge help" to detectives.
The department installed 20 cameras built by Flock Safety to help solve and reduce crime.
On Wednesday, the department cited examples of how the cameras helped solve two drive-by shootings.
Detectives used the cameras to locate a vehicle involved in an Aug. 1 drive-by shooting, identifying the license plate within minutes after officers were provided information, according to the police department. That evening, detectives found the suspect at the registered owner's home and recovered the gun.
The cameras also helped detectives solve an Aug. 8 drive-by where .45 shell casings were collected. The suspect car was captured on a camera moments before the shooting. It was found in Des Moines and seized. A stolen handgun was found in the car, according to police.
The suspect in the second case had six felony convictions and was under Department of Corrections supervision at the time of their arrest.
Flock Safety cameras are intended to be used to capture license plates and vehicle characteristics. The police department said they do not capture images of people or faces and require justification for use.
"If our officers put in that we're looking for a stolen plate and it goes through one of those cameras, it'll then ping and immediately alert us of that location," Kolby Crossley, Auburn Police Department public information officer, said. "The general public should have no worries about these cameras. They don't issue citations or anything like that. We're not looking for speeders or anybody on their phones."
Groups like the ACLU have criticized the license plate reader cameras. ACLU of Washington said the cameras "can have life or death impacts especially when used in the context of policing." The organization cited examples of technology, including the plate readers, getting it wrong and putting people in dangerous encounters with police.