LAWTON – Violent and property crimes here declined significantly between 2018 and 2023, Assistant Police Chief Eric Carter informed the City Council recently, and technology is playing a role.
During that six-year period, Carter reported, violent crimes here dropped from 9 per 1,000 population to 7.86 per thousand, and property crimes declined from 35.8 per thousand residents to 25 per thousand.
“We figured a 32.3% reduction in violent crime and a 15.5% reduction in property crimes, when comparing 2018 to 2023,” he told the council. He said violent crimes in Lawton decreased by 7.5% between 2022 and 2023, he said.
In a related matter, outgoing Councilman Kelly Harris, who is stepping down after one term, is leaving the ward he has represented, as well as his council successor R.L. Smith, with some additional crime detection- and-prevention tools.
Harris asked for, and received, permission to spend money from his Ward Fund to buy four more Flock cameras.
They will expand “the current Flock camera network” in Harris’ district, Carter said.
Harris said he has “seen a growing need for enhanced surveillance to ensure community safety and security.” Flock cameras “have helped solve several burglaries and assisted in the arrest of a murder suspect,” the councilman said.
The additional cameras will “enhance surveillance capabilities in areas where data shows a higher frequency of criminal activity or traffic-related concerns,” Carter said. The cameras will be placed at “strategic locations” in Ward 2 by the Lawton Police Department, “based on their assessment of the most effective locations for crime prevention and public safety monitoring,” Carter said.
The total expenditure will be $14,600 for the first year, including $12,000 for four cameras plus $2,600 for the four poles on which the cameras will be mounted. The renewal cost for annual maintenance and operation of the equipment will be $12,000.
Harris had $27,991 in his Ward Fund as of June 11, ledgers reflect.
“We have 15 Flock cameras now, and want 15 to 25 more, for all the entrances and exits” to and from Lawton, Assistant Police Chief Alvin Winham told the council. Each camera is stationary and faces one direction, he said. The department also wants Flock cameras installed “in high crime areas,” Winham said.
Flock cameras are solar-powered, motion- activated, and infrastructure- free devices. Each camera is mounted with a solar panel and rechargeable battery.
They capture details of passing vehicles, including make, vehicle type, color, license plate, state of the plate, and unique features. A passing vehicle triggers a sensor, which takes a photo. The cameras use artificial intelligence to read license plates and other distinguishing visual characteristics.
A Flock camera reportedly was instrumental in the Aug. 21 capture in Lawton of a California man wanted in connection with a homicide. The arrest was made after a traffic stop, Lawton police officials reported. The suspect, Daniel Ambriz, was arrested after an hours-long standoff in the Liberty Lake area, outside a home near 17th and Elm.