MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Thirty-two cameras may soon be added to Marshalltown streets, but they're not to monitor traffic.
Instead, they're what the Marshalltown Police Department call an effort toward improving public safety.
Called Flock License Plate Recognition cameras, these types of cameras can already be found in several cities throughout the Des Moines metro area, like Ankeny, Clive and West Des Moines. Now, Marshalltown is the latest to buy into these cameras.
"This would be a huge opportunity for the police department to improve public safety in our community,” Marshalltown Police Captain Kiel Stevenson told Local 5. "I think we'll be able to solve crimes that would otherwise be written off, because we just don't have the means to solve them.”
Stevenson put forward the proposal to city council, requesting 32 Flock cameras to be placed at main entry and exit points around town.
“The comments that were made from the council and public comments seemed relatively supportive, and we've had a lot of people reach out in support of this as well," Stevenson said.
But he also added that these cameras aren’t to be confused with the city’s new automated traffic enforcement (ATE) speed cameras that give out citations.
“This is obviously completely different than ATE," Stevenson said. "This system gives real-time alerts for stolen vehicles, for people that have arrest warrants, anything like that. Officers would get real-time alerts when somebody drives past the camera."
Despite the start-up costs that Stevenson says come just short of $100,000, the department believes it’ll be a worthy investment for the community.
The Marshalltown City Council will continue discussing the addition of Flock cameras at the next city council meeting, which will be held on Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m.