EAST BRIDGEWATER - July 13, 2026 - The East Bridgewater Select Board received an informational update confirming the imminent rollout of an automated license plate reader (ALPR) system. Funded entirely by $30,000 in federal asset forfeiture funds, the technology will place four Flock Safety cameras strategically throughout the town within the next six to eight weeks to assist with missing person cases, stolen vehicle tracking, and criminal investigations without any impact on local taxpayers.
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The East Bridgewater Police Department briefed the Select Board on a new public safety initiative utilizing $30,000 received from federal asset forfeiture. The funds were secured through the department’s multi-year involvement with the FBI Boston Metro Gang Task Force and the investigative work of Detective Peralta. Because these are federal law enforcement funds, the technology comes at zero cost to the town’s local budget.
The department will deploy four Flock Safety cameras at key traffic chokepoints. According to police representatives, the cameras capture broad images of passing vehicles along with a close-up of the license plate, logging the data with a date and timestamp. The system uses artificial intelligence to identify vehicle make, model, and color, but does not track driver demographics, facial recognition, or personal identification data. Data is automatically purged after 30 days unless flagged for an active investigation.
The system integrates with the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), enabling real-time alerts for stolen cars or missing person cases, such as Silver Alerts. East Bridgewater will also share data seamlessly with surrounding communities like Hanson, Weymouth, Abington, and Bridgewater, which already deploy or are planning similar networks.
