MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — If you live in Baldwin County, you've probably passed a black Flock camera on the highway or in your neighborhood. They take pictures of your license plates.
However, they can also help catch crime suspects.
This is how the Flock cameras work. It takes a simple, high-definition picture of your license plate, and that's it. However, Major Brad King says they have been invaluable to their investigations.
"There's no way we could hire enough deputies to see what these cameras are seeing," says King.
He says they've installed 20 cameras in the past year. In addition, he says they have access to 44 other Flock cameras in the county– owned by the Milledgeville Police, Department of Corrections, and several other entities– but the camera's reach goes much further.
"There is a network among law enforcement officers that literally spans the entire United States. Here from my desk, I've got access to over 4000 cameras, as far as Houston, Texas," he explains.
King says they've only been fully using them since November. However, he says Baldwin has used them to catch carjackers, kidnappers, and wanted persons. It has also helped solve homicides in other states.
"We assisted other agencies in North Carolina, and without the cameras, we would've never known that particular vehicle was going through Baldwin County," King says.
It's helped solve their homicides, like the February 2nd killing of Syee Havior– an 18-year-old killed in a home invasion.
"We were able to identify one of our offenders and the vehicle in less than an hour. I can promise you without those cameras, we would not be where we are today with that investigation."
King says they were able to track where the car was going before and after the homicide occurred. He says the suspects were all in custody in a few days.
King says the cameras are vital as they're short of deputies, and he wishes he had them sooner.
"There's some people that aren't so happy with the cameras, but the bottom line is-- they're working. There's some people who aren't real happy with the cameras. The bottom line is, they're working, they're helping us do your job, which is protecting your property and the lives of the citizens in this county," King says.
T.W. Hardwell says they should install even more cameras.
"I think they're really good," he says. "Anybody who has a problem with it is probably doing something wrong," Hardwell laughed.
Tamika Hill says some people say the cameras invade their privacy, but she disagrees.
"Really, they're not recording anything. The only thing they're doing is reading the tag numbers. I think they're wonderful, they're working," Hill says.
The sheriff's office says they're applying for a grant to install more cameras around the county.
King says they're leasing each camera for $25,000 a year.
He says 15 of them equal the cost of hiring and training one deputy.