SEAFORD, Del. -- The Seaford Police Department is upping its policing efforts with the help of a crime center that uses cameras and license plate readers to monitor the city in real time.
According to Seaford Police Deputy Chief Michael Rapa, the department is working with automation company Flock Safety. The new system is Flock Safety's OS Elite System. It was installed in June.
The system centralizes the department's 21 cameras and seven license plate readers throughout Seaford. Operators and officers can receive real-time alerts and video feeds of stolen vehicles, missing and wanted people, and other incidents. A detailed map shows exactly where the alerts are located. The system has access to floor plans and live videos inside every school in the city. Police officers can also be tracked with the system through their body-worn cameras.
"We rely on people and video feeds from stores, but when there are incidences where we get a brief description, being able to take that information and use it to expand on an investigation further, that helps us solve crimes," says Deputy Chief Rapa. "It's helped in multiple ways, from minor situations of shopliftings to getting tag information and then taking that tag we've taken a photo of and getting information based on that."
Deputy Chief Rapa says local businesses can also partner with Flock Safety to give the department live access to their surveillance video feed. Seaford residents can register their doorbell cameras to remotely alert officers of suspicious activity.