Raleigh police chief, Nash County sheriff advocate for license-plate readers after they helped catch suspected Atlanta mass shooter

License-plate reading cameras helped law enforcement in Atlanta catch the man suspected of a mass shooting that left one woman dead and four others wounded.

Atlanta police arrested Deion Patterson after an eight-hour manhunt on Wednesday. After the shooting, authorities said Patterson stole a truck to get away.

“Those cameras proved extremely helpful,” said Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer. “[It helped law enforcement officers find the] precise location of the building he walked into.”

Patterson is charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, Fulton County Jail records show.

At least six law enforcement agencies in central North Carolina are also using the same license-plate reading cameras as Atlanta police.

Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina have asked state lawmakers to add license-plate cameras to state roads and highways.

In late April, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson and Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone spoke before state lawmakers to advocate for House Bill 198. The bill would allow cameras in rights of way along highways controlled by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, but only for a year, starting in July. Lawmakers would need to re-up the pilot program after that.

“Allow us to work smarter to protect the most vulnerable people in our population which includes our children, parents, families and even one another,” Patterson said.

The bill also creates a new class 1 misdemeanor for illegally accessing data collected by license plate readers, which use cameras to identify vehicles by their license plates and store this information in a database that can be used to track people.

In June 2022, Raleigh police installed 25 Flock Safety cameras. The Flock system alerts officers in their patrol cars when one of the cameras recognizes a license plate listed on a local “hot list” and state or federal databases. The cameras have helped catch violent offenders, recover stolen cars, track license plates and find missing children.

Flock Safety said the cameras do not capture faces, only license plates. The company said the data is deleted every 30 days. Also, Flock Safety said it does not sell or give personal information to third parties.

The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern about Flock creating a mass-surveillance system in a March 2022 report. The ACLU urges law enforcement to implement privacy policies and delete data as quickly as possible.

Raleigh police said the cameras helped make more than 20 arrests in the last month.

Several other law enforcement agencies have also installed the technology. Last year, law enforcement in Garner, Knightdale, Roanoke Rapids, Nash and Edgecombe counties launched Flock programs.

“Other states have been utilizing this for many years,” Stone said.

Stone said the cameras have helped his deputies track down murder suspects. He said that includes the case of a man who was 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The common thread is 99% of these people committing these offenses are in vehicles or get in vehicles,” he said.

When the cameras spot a wanted plate from a state or federal database, it sends officers real-time alerts.

Stone said the information is only used by law enforcement and should not present privacy concerns.

“We are not looking to see where you have been or what you have been doing,” he said. “That is no concern to us.”

Stone also pointed out that most people carry cell phones, which also track location.

“They are not worried about a cell phone,” Stone said. “America cannot put a cell phone down for two seconds.”

With statewide officer shortages and increasing crime, Stone said the cameras are essential.

“This is a technology piece that is going to keep our communities safe,” Stone said.