Follow us on social media:
Rhode Island
RI police cite crime‑solving wins in plate-reading camera expansion
The story behind RI State Trooper’s distinctive boots
Retired RI state troopers Lt. Kenneth Bowman and Lt. James Beck chat about the history of the RI state police boots at the RI State Police Museum.
The Rhode Island State Police are in the middle of a months-long push to launch a network of 39 license-plate reading camera devices like the ones that helped investigators identify a mass shooter in December.
The project is working to finalize locations for the devices in 22 Rhode Island cities and towns, according to the trooper leading the project, state police Detective Capt. Marc A. Alboum.
While locations for the devices are not finalized, the project anticipates placement of plate-reading cameras on highways and key arteries across the state.
Alboum said most of the local officials have given an initial approval and he awaits feedback from Portsmouth and Bristol.
The second part of the process involves gathering input from police in those cities and towns, which could lead to adjustments to the proposed locations.
Reading license plates in fast-moving traffic
In part, the plans call for the plate-reading devices in certain cities and towns where traffic moves between Rhode Island and other states.
On that front, Alboum said, the current proposal envisions:
- Two devices aimed at traffic in both directions on Interstate 195 in East Providence, which borders Seekonk
- Two devices aimed at Interstate 295 traffic in Cumberland, which borders North Attleboro
- Two devices aimed at Interstate 95 traffic in Pawtucket, which borders Attleboro
- A device aimed at Interstate 95 further to the south in Richmond
The plans also anticipate two camera devices in Cranston, one in East Greenwich, one in Richmond, two in Johnston, where traffic moves between Interstate 295 and Route 5.
State police are pursuing four devices in Providence, including on Route 10, Route 146 and Interstate 95, and at least one device in a more rural location on Route 165 in Exeter.
State police outreach to cities and towns
Alboum said his outreach to town and city officials for approval is in response to guidance from the company that was chosen to supply the license plate-reading system.
That company, Flock Safety, already provides license plate-reading capabilities to many Rhode Island cities and towns.
Alboum said he has initial approvals from 20 cities and towns and as of Jan. 9.
Have any towns denied the request to install Flock cameras?
The Warren Town Council rejected the proposal. Opponents of the systems, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, have argued that the technology supports excessive surveillance by police and infringes on privacy.
Noting that private surveillance cameras are everywhere already, proponents of license plate reading devices say the systems provide a valuable public safety service that checks on the plates of passing motor vehicles and notifies police when one of those vehicles has been flagged.
For example, a car might be associated with a person wanted on a warrant or someone who is a missing person. Or the vehicle itself might be stolen. In those situations, the resulting Flock “hit” can alert police stop the car and investigate if they move quickly enough.
The plate data that does not trigger a flag resides in the system for 30 days, and access to that data is sufficiently controlled and regulated, supporters say. Only investigators with special clearances can run searches.
How data from plate reading system helped police find mass shooter
After the mass shooting at Brown University in December, when investigators became interested in a Nissan with a Florida plate, they ran searches within Providence’s license plate reading system.
Eventually, they identified a blue Nissan with a Florida plate that a Flock device detected near Whole Foods in Providence.
Information on the car’s plate then helped investigators determine that someone who fit the profile of the suspected mass shooter, Claudio Neves Valente, had rented the vehicle, authorities say.
The vehicle itself had not triggered a Flock hit when it passed through. Investigators had to search for it within the Flock system after they became interested in that type of car.
Plate data that flows into the cameras proposed by state police will be “permanently deleted” after 30 days, according to police.
Are Flock cameras used to give speeding tickets?
The devices do not measure speed, Alboum said.
The plate information and other data, which can include a particular sticker or a roof rack, is protected through encryption before it is transmitted to servers, he said, adding that the devices do not have any public internet protocol (IP) address that would facilitate remote access.
The devices are “aligned with the security protocols established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity as well as the Cloud Security Alliance’s (CAIQ) framework,” he said.
Alboum said that the project is grant-funded and the state has negotiated a three-year contract with Flock for $597,000.
He estimated that state police are at least three months away from operating the system, emphasizing that the process has gone more slowly than he expected.
The Cranston police, under the leadership of Col. Michael J. Winquist, were the first Rhode Island police agency to test the devices through a pilot program. Cranston, Pawtucket and Woonsocket launched license-plate reading networks in 2021.
The systems have factored in the prompt capture of suspects accused of involvement in violent crimes.
“We’ve had nothing but great success in not only preventing crime but solving crimes after they occur in our city,” said Winquist who was expected to make an appearance before the Bristol Town Council.
Alboum cites a recent situation where state police tracked down a vehicle associated with an armed robbery.
“It’s a priceless tool,” he says. “It really is.”
CUMBERLAND, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island State Police are investigating a crash that happened on I-295 North in Cumberland Tuesday night.
The crash happened in the right lane near Exit 22 just before 9 p.m.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the crash or if anyone was injured.
12 News has reached out to Rhode Island State Police for more information but has not heard back.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
Scandals shake up Capitol Hill ahead of midterm elections
Congressional reporter Zachary Schermele dives into the latest scandals on Capitol Hill and how they’re shaking up politics ahead of midterms.
Rhode Island’s Democrat and Republican primary elections will officially be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 this year, instead of the usual Tuesday election day.
Lawmakers passed the bill at the urging of state and local officials, who were concerned that an election day falling the day after Labor Day would not give them enough time to set up polls for the arrival of voters.
Gov. Dan McKee signed the bill on April 20, officially moving the primary day for 2026.
Which races will be on the ballot? The Republican and Democrat nominees for a swath of local offices – most notably governor but also lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Why was RI’s primary day moved?
At a hearing on the bill earlier this year, Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns explained the “significant logistical and financial challenges” municipalities otherwise would have faced having an election the day after Labor Day.
“Beyond cost, municipalities face serious logistical challenges accessing and setting up more than 430 polling locations on a major federal holiday, a process that often requires many hours and access to facilities that are typically closed and unstaffed on Labor Day,” he said.
“Compounding these challenges, many municipalities conduct early voting in city or town halls that must also serve as primary day polling locations,” Rossi noted.
Without changes to current law, he said, “municipalities would be required to conduct early voting and primary day polling simultaneously, often in the same limited space and with the same poll workers, requiring additional staffing and facilities.”
By the time this legislative hearing took place in January, other states facing similar issues, including Massachusetts, had already adjusted their primary dates, “and Rhode Island itself has demonstrated that alternative scheduling can be successful, as occurred during the statewide Wednesday primary in 2018,” Rossi said.
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) — If you’re looking to satisfy you’re sweet tooth, look no further than Division Street.
Nothing Bundt Cakes opened its first Rhode Island bakery in East Greenwich earlier this month. The new bakery is situated within East Greenwich Square, which is also home to the Ocean State’s first Crumbl.
The bakery is known for its handcrafted specialty Bundt cakes, as well as smaller “Bundtlets,” and bite-sized “Bundtinis,” that come in a variety of flavors.
“There’s a strong sense of local pride, creativity, and community here that aligns perfectly with our values,” said Jake Williams, who owns the East Greenwich bakery. “We were drawn to the area’s vibrant small business culture and the opportunity to contribute something special.”
Nothing Bundt Cakes is also expected to open another bakery at Chapel View in Cranston later this year.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.
Follow us on social media:
-
Health6 minutes agoAging in Place: How Technology Might Help You Grow Old at Home
-
Culture18 minutes agoBook Review: ‘Israel: What Went Wrong?,’ by Omer Bartov
-
Lifestyle24 minutes agoStreet Style Look of the Week: Airy Beachy Clothes
-
Education30 minutes agoÉcole des Sables, Africa’s Premier Dance School, Faces a Precarious Future
-
Technology36 minutes agoIt’s amazing how good Alienware’s $350 OLED monitor is
-
World42 minutes agoIran reportedly fires on three ships in Strait of Hormuz
-
Politics48 minutes agoWATCH: Sen Warren unloads on Trump’s Fed nominee Kevin Warsh in explosive hearing showdown
-
Health54 minutes agoGrieving mom hospitalized with rare ‘broken heart syndrome’ after veteran son’s suicide