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Rhode Island State Police want to install dozens of license plate–reading Flock cameras across the state, but not every community is on board.
State police have pitched the program in over 20 communities after receiving a federal COPS grant that includes $579,000 for 39 cameras.
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that photograph the license plates of passing vehicles, and record details such as time, location, color and vehicle type.
The information is stored in a searchable database that police can use to look for specific vehicles by plate number or description.
Departments can also set alerts, so officers are notified in real time when a stolen vehicle or a suspect’s car is detected. Data is stored for 30 days before being permanently erased.
Town Council Vice President Keri Cronin spoke with NBC 10’s Tamara Sacharczyk about privacy concerns. (WJAR)
Although the cameras would be installed on state roads, state police must get permission from each community before moving forward.
So far, Warren is the only town to reject the proposal.
During a December meeting, town leaders raised concerns about data use and privacy. Town Council Vice President Keri Cronin said officials worry that as the technology evolves, access could expand in ways that threaten civil liberties.
Councilman Louis Rego said he received emails from residents who were uneasy about how the cameras would be operated and monitored, while Council President Joseph DePasquale questioned the legal implications of potential changes to the system in the future.
Flock cameras have been credited with helping solve hundreds of crimes statewide by alerting police to stolen vehicles and cars connected to criminal investigations.
When asked whether rejecting the program could hinder investigations, Cronin said no.
“I feel very safe and confident in the work of the Warren Police Department,” she said. “We just weren’t confident in how the information would ultimately be used.”
Just weeks after Warren rejected the proposal, Flock cameras were used in the search for the suspect in the Brown University shooting.
A license plate camera. (WJAR)
Authorities say tips about a gray Nissan rental car, along with data from license plate reader cameras, helped investigators track the suspect from Providence to Massachusetts and then New Hampshire. Manuel Neves Valente was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said the surveillance system helped link the crimes and end a days-long manhunt.
Despite that track record, Cronin said residents made clear they do not want the technology.
“I think a lot of people are sleeping more soundly knowing they are not living in a surveillance state, that their civil liberties aren’t being violated,” she said. “I have great confidence in our police force.”
Other communities, including Cranston, are embracing the technology.
Cranston already has 29 Flock cameras at a cost of about $81,000 a year and is joining the State Police program for additional cameras at no cost.
“We have seized over 100 stolen vehicles since we started,” Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist said. “We’ve used it in homicide investigations, drive-by shootings and cases where we didn’t have a lot of leads. It helped expedite the arrest of some pretty dangerous individuals.”
Since 2021, Flock cameras have helped Cranston Police with 17 missing persons, 89 warrant arrests, 104 stolen vehicle arrests and 28 stolen property arrests.
The ACLU has warned that widespread use of license plate readers could allow authorities to track a person’s movements, drawing concerns as more cameras pop up statewide.
“Despite many attempts to get legislation passed to protect our privacy, which would include reasonable limits on how long data can be kept, how the data can be shared, and when police can put in requests to access the data. Flock cameras are still virtually unregulated in Rhode Island,” an ACLU statement said.
But when it comes to questioning the amount of surveillance, Winquist said for him, there’s no limit.
“We have hundreds and hundreds of miles of roadways,” he said. “In a perfect world, we would have a lot more cameras.”
Winquist said Rhode Island police share data with each other and with federal agencies, but not with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Winquist said safeguards are in place.
Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist spoke with NBC 10 about the cameras. (WJAR)
“It has to be used for official purposes only,” Winquist said. “It leaves a log of anyone who searches plates, and we conduct routine audits.”
Winquist said rejecting the program takes away an important investigative tool. “I think it’s unfortunate,” he said.
Cronin said the town is not permanently closing the door.
“If at some point there’s a new proposal where they put considerable thought into how the data would be used and safeguarded, we can always hear it again,” she said.
State police have not announced when the 39 cameras will be deployed.
The proposal has been submitted in the following communities:
Glocester, East Greenwich, Exeter, North Smithfield, Tiverton, Providence, Lincoln, Portsmouth, Bristol, Middletown, North Kingstown, Jamestown, Cranston, Pawtucket, East Providence, Johnston, Cumberland, Richmond, Westerly, South Kingstown, Newport and Warren.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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