Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office to install three Flock Safety cameras on USI campus

In an ongoing effort to enhance the safety of the University of Southern Indiana campus, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO), in collaboration with USI Public Safety, plans to install three Flock Safety cameras at campus entrances in Spring 2024.

Flock Safety cameras scan license plates, detect vehicle details and provide real-time data to local, state and federal law enforcement. Integrated with federal crime databases and local “hot lists,” the cameras notify authorities when a wanted vehicle passes by, ensuring swift response for enhanced security. Data captured by Flock Safety cameras is permanently deleted after 30 days and cannot be accessed or recovered.

“This collaboration with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office underscores our commitment to cutting-edge safety measures for our campus community,” says Steve Bridges, Vice President for Finance and Administration. “This is just one of the ways we’re using advances in technology to create a safer campus. We already use a camera system that monitors campus buildings and common areas, and we’ve implemented the Rave Guardian App, which allows users to access many safety features and maintain quick access to Public Safety. We will also see new safety and technology features when Public Safety moves to its new location in the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center this year.”

Sam Preston, Interim Public Safety Director, said USI is a unique campus in that it is in a rural setting, and most traffic to the University is by motor vehicle. “This makes the Flock Safety cameras an important resource for us in creating a safe campus environment,” he said. “By tapping into existing data, the VCSO can quickly know if there’s a potential risk to our community.”

Preston said the cameras, located at each of three entrance points to campus, are not intended for routine Public Safety business. The cameras are set to record close-up information, specifically license plates, that allows the system to then cross reference that information with existing VCSO data in real time. In addition to potential criminal connections, the cameras can also alert local law enforcement about community safety issues like Amber and Silver Alerts. “It’s very much in line with our community of care,” said Preston.

USI is one of several Vanderburgh County locations that will be receiving the first round of Flock Safety cameras, and the VCSO plans to increase the number of cameras across the county to 45 in the coming year. Additional Flock Safety cameras will be installed near campus in State Roads 62 and 66 and N Red Bank and Nurrenbern roads. The City of Evansville has already been using cameras with good results for more than a year and a half and has cameras installed in around 55 locations across the city.

“License plate reader technology is so effective at solving crime because the cameras target the weak link of most criminal endeavors, which is transportation,” says Noah Robinson, Sheriff for the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. “For a criminal to avoid detection, they must arrive at the scene, commit the crime and then leave the scene without being identified. The vast majority of crimes involve a motor vehicle at some point, so camera systems like Flock are particularly well suited to take advantage of this fact.”