\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSmall solar-powered devices have been popping up across Cape Coral \u2014 and many residents aren\u2019t sure what they are.\u201cI looked at it real closely, it looked like a solar panel with a little camera on it,\u201d Cape Coral resident Nancy Travis said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think much of it. I figured they\u2019re there for safety. I don\u2019t know exactly what they\u2019re for.\u201dThe tools blend into the background, but they represent a growing wave of technology arriving in 2025 and beyond.\u201cTo have them out and about, I think it\u2019s just another step in the technology world,\u201d Travis said. \u201cI\u2019m going to go out and look for them \u2014 see where they\u2019re located.\u201dSo what are they? The company behind the devices says they\u2019re license plate readers designed to help local law enforcement identify vehicles tied to crimes.\u201cFlock LPR cameras take images of the backs of vehicles, after license plates and specific vehicle descriptions, things like the make, model, and color,\u201d said Paris Lewbel, spokesperson for Flock Safety. \u201cThat goes into a database where the police department can search for vehicles potentially involved in crimes. It still comes with good police work.\u201dFlock Safety says its system has helped solve more than 12% of crimes nationwide, and more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies use the technology. The cameras began appearing around Cape Coral earlier this year.Lewbel said the data is stored for 30 days, though it can be held longer for ongoing investigations.\u201cIt is absolutely making a difference,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only helping police officers solve crimes in their jurisdiction, but it\u2019s also helping reunite families with missing people.\u201dCape Coral resident Holly Juca understands how valuable information can be. Her daughter, Alexa, was hit by a pickup truck in March near Cape Coral Parkway and Pelican Boulevard. The driver stayed on scene, but Juca knows not every case ends that way.\u201cI think it\u2019s helpful to have that extra layer of security,\u201d she said. \u201cThings happen in an instant. If you have information available to help quickly locate suspects or any crime that\u2019s occurred, that is beneficial in getting cases resolved quickly. Having any little bit of information to corroborate a story is beneficial.\u201dSupporters believe every second counts \u2014 and every image could change the outcome.DOWNLOAD\u202fthe free\u202fGulf Coast News app\u202ffor your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tCAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Small solar-powered devices have been popping up across Cape Coral \u2014 and many residents aren\u2019t sure what they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at it real closely, it looked like a solar panel with a little camera on it,\u201d Cape Coral resident Nancy Travis said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think much of it. I figured they\u2019re there for safety. I don\u2019t know exactly what they\u2019re for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tools blend into the background, but they represent a growing wave of technology arriving in 2025 and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have them out and about, I think it\u2019s just another step in the technology world,\u201d Travis said. \u201cI\u2019m going to go out and look for them \u2014 see where they\u2019re located.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what are they? The company behind the devices says they\u2019re license plate readers designed to help local law enforcement identify vehicles tied to crimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlock LPR cameras take images of the backs of vehicles, after license plates and specific vehicle descriptions, things like the make, model, and color,\u201d said Paris Lewbel, spokesperson for Flock Safety. \u201cThat goes into a database where the police department can search for vehicles potentially involved in crimes. It still comes with good police work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flock Safety says its system has helped solve more than 12% of crimes nationwide, and more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies use the technology. The cameras began appearing around Cape Coral earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Lewbel said the data is stored for 30 days, though it can be held longer for ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is absolutely making a difference,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only helping police officers solve crimes in their jurisdiction, but it\u2019s also helping reunite families with missing people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cape Coral resident Holly Juca understands how valuable information can be. Her daughter, Alexa, was hit by a pickup truck in March near Cape Coral Parkway and Pelican Boulevard. The driver stayed on scene, but Juca knows not every case ends that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s helpful to have that extra layer of security,\u201d she said. \u201cThings happen in an instant. If you have information available to help quickly locate suspects or any crime that\u2019s occurred, that is beneficial in getting cases resolved quickly. Having any little bit of information to corroborate a story is beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters believe every second counts \u2014 and every image could change the outcome.<\/p>\n
DOWNLOAD\u202fthe free\u202fGulf Coast News app<\/a>\u202ffor your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app<\/a> to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Small solar-powered devices have been popping up across Cape Coral \u2014 and many residents aren\u2019t sure what they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53583,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-53582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}