Conn. Police Credit License Plate Cameras in Armed Robbery Arrests

WATERFORD, CT—Police Lt. Patrick Flanagan said the town's four automated license plate readers, now operational since 2023, have aided in arrests in two notable cases.

The first Flanagan recently described was a January 2025 robbery at Charter Oak Federal Credit Union on Boston Post Road. Two suspects held up the bank, armed with a knife, pinning people to the ground.

It was a pretty violent crime," Flanagan said.

The department's Flock Safety Automated License Plater Readers cameras, and those in other towns, were instrumental in making an arrest, Flanagan said. The readers detect vehicles suspected of involvement in a crime after police input into the alert system a make, model, description, distinguishing features and license plate number. Police use automated license plate readers to track the vehicles, though Flanagan said it's not live surveillance.

Michael F. Drayton, 36, was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny in connection with the case. He was arrested in December 2025. At the time, police said Drayton threatened to cut a man's throat. The other suspect is still at large. Drayton's next court date is May 28 in New London Superior Court.

The second case was another armed robbery, this time in February at the Price Cutter Vape and Smoke Shop on Norwich Road in Quaker Hill. Frank Straub, 41, of Montville, allegedly entered the store with a firearm, Flanagan said.

Straub is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny, criminal possession of a firearm and carrying a dangerous weapon. Straub's next court date is June 4 in New London.

Again, the Flock readers "played a major role in allowing us to promptly identify the suspect vehicle," Flanagan said.

Police also use license plate cameras to find missing persons and stolen vehicles, Flanagan said.

Since their installation, the cameras have helped the department recover 11 stolen vehicles, Flanagan said. They have also aided in locating several people reported missing.

"The camera acts as kind of a force multiplier," Flanagan said.

The lieutenant did not have data showing if crime in Waterford has reduced since the cameras' installation.

Access and transparency

With a goal of preempting the public's questions and concerns, and dispelling misinformation about the license plate readers, the department has launched what it calls a transparency portal, a website showing policies and usage statistics related to the Flock system.

"It just gives us the ability to be transparent with the public, to get some information out there," Flanagan said.

Last week, the portal said Waterford's readers have detected 215,250 vehicles in the last 30 days. There have been about 280 "hits" of suspect vehicles, though it should be noted that figure doesn't necessarily represent individual vehicles, as it could be a single vehicle pinging the system more than once.

The descriptions of these vehicles must be verified by police, Flanagan said. The Flock system database is updated every five hours, he said, and it also uses information from the National Crime Information Center, which has a list of wanted people, missing people and stolen vehicles.

The department stores data for 30 days, and only shares it with State Police, though municipal police departments across the state can access the information, according to the portal.

"Waterford PD has opted out of any searches related to immigration and reproductive care across all camera networks. Internal audits are conducted on a scheduled basis," the department said in the portal.

The department also can't use them to monitor driving behavior or issue tickets. Officers need a case number and a specific crime to investigate before accessing Flock information. Flanagan said it's possible the department could add more cameras to the four it operates now, one at the intersection of Route 85 and Harvey Road, a second at Route 85 and Interstate 395, a third at Boston Post Road and Willetts Avenue and a fourth on Waterford Parkway North, just west of the local Lowe's.

"They're not speed cameras, they're not red light cameras," Flanagan said. "They don't take images of people.

____________

© 2026 The Day (New London, Conn.).

Visit www.theday.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.