Funny
you should ask...
It's that black pole in the middle
The other day someone reached out to me on social media to ask what the new funny poles were outside of Dunamis and Kwik Trip. Apparently there had been some chatter about them on Facebook and this person simply wanted to know whose they were. A simple text to Chief Ambrozaitus later I discovered that for the uninformed they are Flock cameras and these two are ours.
What's a Flock camera?
Flock cameras are specialized, fixed-pole Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) manufactured by Flock Safety. They are widely used by local law enforcement, private businesses, and neighborhood associations to capture high-resolution still images of passing vehicles and identify them based on license plates, make, model, color, and unique features like roof racks or bumper stickers.
I asked Chief to make a short presentation at June's council meeting and in case you missed it using himself, it captured a beautiful clear image of Chief driving his convertible into town to attend the council meeting.
Here's how they work:
- Data capture: While they do not record continuous video or recognize faces. Instead, they snap still images of a vehicle's rear end as it passes in plain view.
AI Machine Learning: The software analyzes the image to create a "Vehicle Fingerprint," noting specific attributes such as missing plates, after-market wheels, or visible damage.
Real-Time Alerts: They compare captured plates against “hot lists” (such as AMBER or GRAY alerts or local stolen vehicle databases and ping law enforcement instantly if a match is found.
Of course, what most people want to know is will they be receiving a speeding ticket in the mail should they exceed the posted speed limit at either end of town? Chief assured us that is not what a flock camera is for. Rather, it's another tool on their tool belt to help ensure the public's safety.
In case you were wondering, the County already has 10 of their own (as well as a portable one) as do the Cities of Rice Lake (13), Barron (3), Cumberland (3) and Turtle Lake (2). Word is Cameron is considering purchasing one or two for their department as well. “I can assure the citizens of Chetek that I'm not watching you,” said Chief at the meeting. “But if it can help us solve a crime, we're going to use it.”
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| They sure look like fun |
In an unrelated matter you may have noticed the announcement that Chetek PD posted at their Facebook page regarding banning the use of golf carts and electric scooters/skate boards inside the city limits. While the PD is more concerned about their use on county roads (e.g., Dallas Street, Second Street, Sumner Ave [i.e., the long bridge], County Road D (East and West) and Country Road M), at present there are no Wisconsin state statutes that make golf carts and scooters legal for standard roadway use.
If
you've seen kids zipping around on these electric scooters, they sure
look like they're having a ball, don't they? But you put an
elementary kid no more than 3 or 4 feet tall on one of those without
a helmet going as high as 20 mph who may not be fully aware of the
rules of the road and you may have a formula for trouble or injury.
Mind you, we're not talking about electric bikes. That's different.
They got zip to them too but are considered street-legal.
These things can motor
And what's so bad about golf carts? Simple: they were not created to be road vehicles. They're meant for golf courses and retirement communities. And while we have our fair-share of old people around La Boca Vista we are not.
It may be a Florida-thing but not here
It's not the PD's desire to be the great kill-joy of every kid's summer days. But they do have the responsibility of keeping us safe and reminding us, when needed, of the rules of the road. With everyone's cooperation they won't have to.
To read the full press release go to the Chetek Police Department's Facebook page or see the front page of this week's Chetek Alert.
