With unanimous approval from City Council, the Statesboro Police Department has obtained a five-year renewal of its contract with Flock Safety for 54 of the cameras and other features, at a total cost of almost $1.15 million. In addition to the LPR, or license plate reader camera function, the contract includes the existing gunshot detection sensors with reportedly two square miles of coverage and Flock’s continued service and support. Interim Chief of Police Jared Akins noted the expiration of the grant and advocated the contract renewal in a memo, dated Aug. 3, to City Manager Charles Penny. The memo and “order form” for the new five-year contract with Flock Safety then became part of the agenda packets for Tuesday evening’s council meeting. “Flock information has become a critical part of SPD’s activities, from the investigation of ‘hit and run’ crashes to homicide investigations,” Akins wrote. “As a sampling,” he reported, “Flock has contributed significantly to the investigation” of 22 stolen vehicles recovered, four missing persons, three robberies, one kidnapping, 12 aggravated assaults and eight homicides. “Two of those homicides would have been extremely difficult to solve absent the Flock technology,” Akins stated. Unlike the issue that occupied the longest stretch of City Council’s time Tuesday evening – rezoning for a proposed data center – the vote approving the Flock contract was 4-0. However, the Flock order also faced some outspoken citizen opposition. As a…
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