A proposal to install smart cameras that can identify license plate and vehicle information has Wright City leaders debating benefits to public safety versus risks to personal privacy.

Police Chief Tom Canavan introduced the idea of purchasing the smart cameras from the company Flock Safety during a public meeting of the Wright City Board of Aldermen March 24.

According to Flock Safety, the cameras are motion activated and take still-image photos of the rear of passing vehicles.

Images from the cameras are relayed to an online computer system, which automatically identifies a vehicle’s license number, type, color, manufacturer, and any unique features such as bumper stickers or roof racks. The images and associated vehicle info are stored in an encrypted database for 30 days, said Flock representative Lisa Dunn.

The primary use of the camera network is to allow police to investigate crimes by identifying suspect vehicles and searching for where else they’ve been recently. The camera system can even send out automated alerts to local police when cameras spot a vehicle that has been reported stolen or involved in a prior crime.

Police from any municipality can access any camera data that’s been shared by another police department, Dunn said. She added that about 200 Flock cameras are installed around St. Louis and St. Charles counties.

To became part of the Flock Safety network, Wright City would have to pay $2,500 per camera annually.

Chief Canavan explained that he is asking for the camera systems to be installed around Wright City because a number of recent car break-ins were committed by people from outside this area, traveling in vehicles that were likely stolen.

“With the latest couple of crimes we’ve had in our city, those could have been solved with these cameras, had they been in place,” Canavan told city aldermen. “Should we get these, Wright City would be connected along the highway all the way into St. Louis County, and that would be a great benefit to us. ... If we know the vehicle, we could catch them in Lake St. Louis, or St. Charles.”

The camera proposal was met with a mix of approval and deep skepticism among Wright City’s elected leaders. Mayor Michelle Heiliger said she is open to a tool that helps police keep the city safe.

“Police work has gotten really hard. ... One of the biggest concerns we’re getting right now is our growth: How are you going to control the growth, how are you going to keep down crime?” Heiliger said. “If we’re not willing to embrace these types of opportunities, this is going to be a struggle.”

That perspective was matched by a much more reserved response from Aldermen Karey Owens and Ramiz Hakim, who said they have concerns over citizen privacy, data security, and the potential for misuse.

“I’m not a huge fan of this,” Owens commented. She asked what procedures are typically in place to monitor how the system is being used.

Dunn replied that the online system has independent logins for each user and tracks each user’s search history, which can later be audited.

Hakim asked whether someone could download camera data for some unknown, improper use.

Dunn replied that only certain users would be able to download data, and every download would be recorded. Canavan added that only his detectives and command staff would be given such access.

Neither Owens nor Hakim seemed completely reassured by those answers.

“It wouldn’t be ideal for someone to have access to that (information) to do whatever they want with it,” Hakim speculated. “What kind of liability and risk is the city taking on by having this? What kind of risk are we putting our citizens in, in the case that an individual gained access to that and was tracking someone?

“Those are the concerns that weigh heavy on us, because those are the concerns we’re hearing from our constituents,” he added.

For the time being, no decision has been made on the camera system. Aldermen said they’ll revisit the topic at their April 14 public meeting.