Mail theft happens in almost every neighborhood. With the rise in residential delivery driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, porch pirates have reached even further into the cul-de-sacs and driveways of small towns across the country. But it’s not every day that an HOA board member fields a complaint about stolen heavy-duty landscaping equipment. 

“We had felt we needed to do something to improve the safety of our neighborhood,” shared Pickwick Commons HOA President Jayson Parker in a local news report.

Pickwick Commons sits just outside Indianapolis, a suburban community of about 100 homes. It’s not a transient area; residents tend to move and stay, drawn to the family-friendly lifestyle, affordable cost of living, and proximity to the urban city center.

But Pickwick Commons has not escaped property crime, and so in 2020 Jayson and the HOA board began researching ways to combat it. They looked at subdivision gates, multiple camera companies, and even explored the cost of nightly police patrols.

In terms of both technology and cost, Flock Safety emerged as the best solution.

Jayson and the board appreciated that Flock Safety’s license plate readers would be an infrastructure-free, all-inclusive option. They would not have to worry about installation, maintenance, or unforeseen costs. 

Pickwick Commons installed Flock Safety Falcon cameras at both entrances of the neighborhood. Jayson points to the case of the stolen landscaping gear as an immediate success story.

“We were able to ID the car because we had a witness see the gentleman do it. They told us, you know, what the car looked like, the color and the make and the time, and we were able to go to the footage and get the car with the license plate,” Jayson told the Indianapolis news.

Pickwick Commons has also seen the Flock Safety cameras and accompanying signs as an extremely successful crime deterrent. The neighborhood has not seen a mail theft report in about a year. 

The Pickwick Commons board has allayed any privacy concerns by limiting access to the camera footage. 

“It’s not used for anything other than when we have a report of a crime. Beyond that, we don’t look at it. It’s only stored for 30 days, so it’s wiped clean after that,” Jayson said.

The success of Flock Safety in deterring crime in Indianapolis neighborhoods like Pickwick Commons has inspired over a dozen local communities to install the license plate readers. 

Want to learn more about how Flock Safety can work for your community? Speak with a consultant about developing a custom safety plan today.

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