The Smithfield Police Department is looking to purchase six additional cameras that read license plates.

Smithfield’s Town Council voted unanimously on May 6 to approve an invoice from Flock Safety for a $30,000 balance for 11 cameras and the FlockOS software it leased last year.

Prior to 2024, Smithfield was one of only three Hampton Roads localities that didn’t use the automated license plate readers, according to Smithfield Police Lt. William Wooley.

Town Manager Michael Stallings said the department’s request for six additional cameras is included in his nearly $15 million draft 2025-26 general fund budget.

The budget is scheduled for a May 19 public hearing at 6:30 p.m. and adoption on June 3.

The 11 existing cameras have been placed throughout the town and are operational.

“Flock cameras in some fashion have helped solve or strengthen every serious case since their installation,” Wooley said.

Wooley said last year that a camera in neighboring Suffolk had recorded a vehicle suspected in the theft of four lawnmowers from Powerhouse Equipment on West Main Street in Smithfield as the car traveled back and forth four times between Smithfield and Portsmouth.

While they’re designed to capture still images of the backs of cars, they can also occasionally help in identifying suspected criminals. A Flock camera owned by Jersey Park Apartments was instrumental in capturing images of George Harrison, whom police arrested and charged with firing multiple shots into a vehicle three days after the Nov. 20, 2023, incident. Harrison pleaded guilty to a felony charge of maliciously shooting into a car and was sentenced on April 14 of this year to 10 years in prison with eight suspended, according to court records.

The solar-powered cameras operate by connecting to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, or NCIC. If a photographed license plate is a match to a vehicle reported stolen or connected to a crime, officers in the area receive an alert.

Smithfield police said last year they planned to place pairs of cameras at five locations. One pair of license plate readers and a third camera capable of panning from left to right was to be placed on Middle Street. Another pair were to be placed at the Waterworks Road entrance to town near Dave’s Service Center. Battery Park Road, the intersection of the Route 10 Bypass and West Main Street, and the corner of Benns Church Boulevard and Turner Drive were also each slated to receive a pair of license plate readers to capture incoming and outgoing traffic. Police said last year that the additional six cameras would cover more entrances into town.

Wooley said police determined the placement locations by looking at which roads have the highest traffic volumes, areas of town with the most reported crimes and right-of-way restrictions.