Cameras give law enforcement a leg up
RUSSELLVILLE – Police Chief Chris Hargett was at a conference in 2020 and while passing by some of the vendors there, he noticed one promoting a camera system which was different from other systems.
The camera system had the capability to read a license plate on a vehicle, and if that plate had been put into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database as a stolen vehicle, it would alert a law enforcement agency.
After learning more about the camera system, he was sold.
“We put a couple cameras in place, and one of the first hits we got in August 2020 was stolen vehicle that was reported in Mississippi,” Hargett said. “It’s way better than having a person run that tag, plus they run day and night and are solar powered.”
Within the first three months of having the cameras in place, Hargett said the Police Department received 12 notifications – 11 were either stolen vehicles or a tag and one was for a missing person.
Hargett didn’t say how many cameras his department has or exactly where they are located, but he said some are in fixed locations facing U.S. Highway 43 and Alabama Highway 24. The Police Department also has a portable camera.
“The cameras pick up license plates and then flag it if the vehicle has been reported stolen, has a dangerous person or people who may be endangered,” Hargett said. “This gives us another set of eyes.”
CONTRIBUTED/BRADY PETREE
Russellville Police Department’s portable Flock Safety license plate reader camera can be moved to various state or county roads.
Another recent hit from the system involved a moving truck which had been rented from a western state and had not been returned. The truck was flagged in Russellville and police were able to intercept the truck and return it to the moving truck company, Hargett said.
Within a six-month period in 2025, Hargett said the cameras flagged 18 vehicles. He said a majority of those flagged were for outstanding warrants and “a couple” were reported stolen vehicles or license plates.
“They are a great tool,” Hargett said. “It’s more than likely we would not have gotten these people or stolen vehicles if not for those cameras.”
More police departments are purchasing these type of camera systems.
The Rogersville City Council had representatives from the same camera system company which Russellville uses give a presentation on Monday night during its work session.
“I know a bunch of law enforcement agencies have them, and they are very effective,” Rogersville Police Chief Brian Hudson said. “I’d like for our city to start with two cameras which would face [U.S. Highway] 72 on the east and west side of town.”
The cameras would cost the city $7,000 per year, according to Hudson.
“These systems also can link to patrol vehicles, so if there was a stolen vehicle coming through town, it would notify an officer on duty.”
Former Florence Police Chief and current Mayor Ron Tyler said the police department along with businesses around the city purchased the cameras while he was police chief.
“At first, a few of the big box stores purchased the cameras to catch shoplifters and then we added more,” he said.
Tyler said the camera system helped law enforcement find a person who had been reported abducted from Georgia.
“The cameras got the license plate on the vehicle, and it was put out to several agencies,” he said. “The tag was flagged and that person was found between Iuka and Corinth (Mississippi).”
Sheriff’s offices also have purchased the cameras. Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said his office has six cameras and one portable camera.
“We have them scattered throughout the county, but most observe heavily traveled roads,” he said.
Oliver said the sheriff’s office began using the cameras in 2021.
“There have been several instances where a stolen vehicle has come through the county, and we’ve been able to stop them,” he said. “We are a small county with limited manpower, but these [cameras] gives us a helpful hand if we are looking for someone dealing with a major crime.”
