TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Toledo police are looking to extend their license plate reading program for another year.

Cameras throughout the city scan plates for stolen or crime-involved vehicles. The chief said it was one of the most effective technologies they have used.

Cameras are really starting to appear everywhere. Toledo is counting on them to give their officers another way to spot vehicles before they’re long gone.

It’s the latest version of the Toledo police eye in the sky, but it’s not necessarily looking for you. He’s looking for license plates. “It’s not like a big brother to see your daily resident going to and from work, going to the store,” said Sgt. Andrew Dlugosielski of the Toledo Police Department. They are called Flock cameras. These cameras scan license plates looking for vehicles that are stolen, involved in a crime, or even a vehicle linked to someone with a warrant.

The police placed a plaque in the crime center in real time and the herd camera searches for it. It can even search for a specific description of the vehicle. “All this does is help us solve crimes. This helps us identify suspects. The more we have, the more likely it is that a suspicious vehicle will drive past one of them. That way we can solve a homicide faster, we can solve a robbery faster,” said Sgt. Dlugosielski Information from the camera can be sent directly to an officer’s car. Let them know if there has been a bang nearby and if they should head in that direction.

“You pay attention to 100 different things when you’re on the street. A stolen car can pass in front of you, now you might know right away. When the Flock camera reads the plate, it appears on the officer’s screen. ‘Hey, it’s a stolen car or a stolen car just drove past that herd camera,’” said Sgt. Dlugosielski. The Toledo City Council meets Wednesday to discuss extending the program for another year. This price is $282,000.

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