BALDWIN, Ga. — Baldwin County approved a new 'Real Time Crime Center' for helping track crimes in progress.
Major Brad King with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office says it can take as few as five minutes to find a specific car using Flock cameras. He says these cameras identify license plates, and the color and model of your car.
He says they have been able to catch murderers through the flock cameras.
“A hit we got on flock when we went live was a murder out of North Carolina,” he says. “We weren't able to stop him, but we notified Jones County and Jones County stopped him at the county line.”
Major King says all this information helped Jones County find the murderer, his weapon and the vehicle he carjacked.
He says these flock cameras will be a part of the real-time crime center.
Sheriff Bill Massee says this center will be able to detect suspect's license plates, find them on video and the 911 center can help direct deputies to the scene.
“We will have software cameras up and we will monitor crime as it evolves. We may go to our deputies who may go to the scene of an armed robbery and we may get an idea on a vehicle,” Massee says.
Brian Robinson is on the Central State Hospital Redevelopment Authority and senior vice president of Century Bank and Trust.
He says through those roles, he expects the center would reduce crime.
“Our board approved to put four Flock cameras at Central State Hospital and this has cut down on theft. This has cut down in people coming in vacant buildings,” he says.
Robinson says Baldwin deputies have asked to use the cameras at his bank.
“Anytime the community can partner with the sheriff's department to solve crimes faster that's a win,” Robinson says.
Massee says he hopes to start work on the center by the first of the year.