40 Security Cameras, 40 License Plate Readers to be Installed in Salisbury

SALISBURY, Md. — The Salisbury Police Department has entered a partnership with Flock Safety, allowing the city to install 40 security cameras and 40 license plate readers throughout the area.

Lieutenant Brandon Caton of the Salisbury Police Department said the cameras will provide greater visibility in the areas where it’s needed most. “We took a lot of things into account before we made these decisions on where the cameras are going. Some of it is going to be in our downtown footprint, so we’ll be able to keep some of the events that we have [there] safer,” Lt. Caton said.

The project will cost the city about $1.1 million over three years, according to Mayor Randy Taylor. “It’s a three-year contract, about $350,000 a year, and what it will be is a force multiplier—a more efficient way of going about it. I think it’ll be a deterrent as well.”

With the new cameras, officers will be able to access live feeds while on duty and review footage of crime scenes or traffic accidents.

“When an accident does happen, we want to be able to give the best resolution, and some of these cameras, having captured that event, will help us do that,” Lt. Caton said.

Officials said the added license plate readers will help trace the movements of criminals, such as car thieves and shoplifters. The Salisbury Police Department used crime data to determine camera and reader placement, with many located in the downtown area. “We do stats on a weekly and a monthly basis. We evaluate them our hot areas, where the calls for service are being generated from,” Lt. Caton said.