2 Skagit County cities to enhance crime-solving tech with new vehicle recognition cameras

SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — More cameras will soon be installed in two cities in Skagit County to help police identify vehicles involved in criminal activities.

Last month, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley both approved agreements with Flock Safety to install the technology and give police better ways to read license plates and potentially solve more crimes.

Sedro-Woolley will spend $44,550 to install seven cameras and will be seeking grants to cover some of those costs. Mount Vernon will purchase six cameras using $38,550 from its allotment of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The cameras will capture images of passing traffic and record data about the types of vehicles going by such as their make, color, and even license plate numbers. Cars and trucks that don’t have license plates showing will have their information flagged for police to review and use in any criminal investigations.

Flock Safety technology will notify police agencies when a camera detects any vehicle that has been placed on the National Crime Information Center list. The system can also be tied into statewide alerts.

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Images will be deleted after 30 days unless they are needed for a criminal investigation.

Mount Vernon police already have access to some camera systems, but they do not provide clear images of license plates. The new cameras will be positioned at entrances and exits to the city, to give investigators a sense of when a suspect arrived or left Mount Vernon. The cameras can be repositioned at any time.

The Flock Safety cameras will be installed in both cities at some point early next year.