BALDWIN COUNTY, GA- It's gratifying to know that not all college students are out protesting ICE agents by blocking traffic, assaulting police, and making a general pain in the neck out of themselves. In fact, some are assisting law enforcement and have achieved a new career path in doing so.
According to WMAZ, six students from Georgia College are working with deputies at the Baldwin County Real Time Crime Center, using artificial intelligence and surveillance technology to assist in solving cases, which harkens a new era of cooperation between the college and law enforcement.
An AI service called Flock Nova uses cameras to capture and track vehicle information across the county. Maddie Brown, a recent Georgia College graduate, works at a computer terminal using the program to monitor license plates. She is one of two full-time analysts hired from the college’s intern program.
“What I do now, making sure that we’re monitoring the Flock cameras, our CAD system, anything that we can do to assist patrol,” Brown said.
Flock is a company that provides security hardware and software, including automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems, video surveillance, gunshot or “shot spotter” systems, and drone as first responder technology.
Brown, who never planned on entering law enforcement, majored in business management with a minor in criminal justice. However, an internship at a real-time crime center in Gwinnett County changed her focus.
‘I fell in love with the Flock idea and all of that, and I was about to graduate, one of my professors brought up the internship to me,” she said. She became an intern and was hired full-time in August.
Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee said that about one in five of his deputies are Georgia College graduates.
“Sky, another one of our analysts, has also graduated here from Georgia College. The sheriff has also been at Georgia College, and our other interns are also about to graduate,” Brown said.
WMAZ said that interns share the same responsibilities as full-time staff, which include monitoring Flock cameras, managing the computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system, and assisting detectives with case work.
The sheriff praised the technology, noting that it has been instrumental in solving crimes, including a homicide case in which investigators had exhausted all leads. That changed when someone reported seeing a black SUV in the area.
“[A] young man was killed across the river, we had no information whatsoever until someone told us they saw a black SUV,” Massee said. Using Flock and AI, analysts were able to identify a suspect.
The crime center has only been officially operational since October; however, operations began on June 1. Baldwin County joins several other jurisdictions in George that have launched high-tech crime centers. For example, Warner Robins opened a facility in June and has enjoyed great success, solving nearly 30 cases and making 16 arrests within two months.
Brown praised the partnership, saying it can prove beneficial to those who may be unsure of their future career path.
“My friends are getting jobs, and I don’t know what to do, and the sheriff’s office is having a connection like this for Georgia College, and their career center is just putting the opportunity out to all the students, just like one email, and they advertise it. It’s so helpful,” she said.
Word appears to have gotten out, with the sheriff’s office saying they’ve received 42 applications for the latest round of internships.
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