WEST FARGO — West Fargo police will soon use and share information from automatic license plate readers installed along the city’s entrances and exits.

West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen said the department is about to install a Flock camera system, which is similar to the one used by Fargo police. The Flock system uses cameras at city entry and exit points to read license plates on public streets.

Nielsen said the automatic license plate recognition system is a database that collects information about vehicles, but not the people in the vehicles.

“Flock is not a facial recognition system,” Nielsen said. “It captures part of the vehicle, but it doesn’t capture anything inside the vehicle.”

Nielsen said license plate readers don’t record video, just take a snapshot of the license plate. The system does not target parking violations or speed data. However, it can help police find stolen vehicles, locate missing people, or provide police with clues about suspicious movement.

“It’s a deterrent to criminal activity,” Nielsen said.

He said the Flock system can alert police if wanted vehicles, such as stolen vehicles or those identified as vehicles driven by a crime suspect, enter the city. He said the system is being used in Atlanta and has significantly reduced the number of vehicle thefts in the city.

“Their (Atlanta) stolen vehicles are pretty much over because they have Flock cameras everywhere,” Nielsen said.

Fargo has already implemented the system and it has been a useful tool for area cities. Nielsen gave a recent example of a missing man with dementia who left home in his vehicle. Fargo police used the Flock system to locate the man and return him to his West Fargo home.

“We never would have found it without something important,” Nielsen said.

About 30 cameras would be located around West Fargo in locations such as Main Avenue, Sheyenne Street, Veterans Boulevard and 12th Avenue Northwest.

Footage from the system will be owned by the police department and will never be sold to a third party. All data is securely stored and encrypted, Nielsen said.

He said the cameras do not violate privacy rights because there is no expectation of privacy on public roads.

“People sometimes forget that there is no privacy on public roads,” he said.

The data collected is considered reliable evidence that can be used in court. Nielsen said the data will be shared with the Fargo Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office when necessary.

“We would be able to communicate and talk to Fargo. Cass County is working on putting those up as well,” Nielsen said.

West Fargo Mayor Bernie Dardis said the camera system was approved by the City Commission when it approved the 2025 budget.

Nielsen hopes to deploy the cameras as soon as possible, with a live launch sometime in January.

Wendy Reuer covers all things West Fargo for The Forum.