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**Enhancing Community Policing Through an Effective LPR Strategy**
October 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 9

In an effort to foster and promote trust between law  enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve, agencies  have committed themselves to community policing. Community policing efforts  involve several different strategies such as townhall meetings, neighborhood  watch programs, crime prevention meetings, police/youth activities, volunteer  programs, vacation house checks, etc. 

 As concerns regarding “quality of life” crimes increase, law  enforcement agencies have been improving their community policing efforts by using  technology and innovation to protect communities and apprehend perpetrators. Many  agencies have invested in spreading their message through various social media  platforms, while others, like the Marietta (Georgia) Police Department have created an online database where residents and businesses can register  their surveillance camera systems with the department. If a crime occurs in the  area, the department can quickly query a map to determine if surveillance  cameras exist that may have captured the incident, instead of sending an  officer to each location to check for footage. Others, such as the Arcadia  (California) Police Department have purchased specialized Electronic Stake  Out GPS tracking devices to deploy in items such as bikes and parcel packages  that are being stolen in neighborhoods. The Redlands (California) Police Department (RPD) used the same GPS technology to create the award-winning While  You’re Away Program. Residents who will be away from their homes for an  extended amount of time can complete an online application, pick up a laptop  computer containing an ESO GPS tracking device, and self-deploy  it at their residences. 

 In addition, agencies have been using automated license  plate readers (LPR) on major ingress/egress points to capture vehicles entering  and exiting. Unfortunately, the costs associated with traditional LPR programs  have prevented law enforcement agencies from deploying the technology in  residential communities as a strategy to protect residents and businesses. It  can cost over tens  of thousands of dollars to install LPR cameras in all four directions at  some intersections. Residents have also been hesitant on embracing the  technology due to LPR vendors storing the captured license plate data for several  years in their databases. Police departments, such as Redlands, have long  wanted to implement an LPR strategy in neighborhoods to address crime, but have  struggled to fund such a program and gain the support of people living in the  area. But with camera technology becoming more affordable, companies have  emerged that are focused on providing an LPR strategy more suited to the  concerns of residents and businesses.

 For example, the  jurisdiction of the Memorial Villages Police Department, located just outside of Houston, Texas,  has been prone to property crime—almost entirely committed, according to Police  Chief Ray Schultz, by people living outside the jurisdiction. Knowing that the  suspects were traveling to his community by vehicle, Chief Schultz convinced the  leaders of Memorial Villages to invest in 18 LPR camera systems manufactured by  Flock Safety, Inc. for a small fraction of what it would cost to purchase,  install, and maintain other LPR systems that he researched. These cameras were  installed at the major ingress/egress points of the jurisdiction. 

 During the  initial implementation phase, two residential burglaries took place within  minutes of each other, only a block apart. One of the suspects had  inadvertently left behind a receipt for four cheeseburgers from a nearby  McDonalds inside one of the burglarized homes. Detectives determined a  neighbor’s video surveillance system captured possible suspects arriving at the  victim’s house in a white sedan that also had a unique sunroof. Armed with this  information, detectives went to the nearby McDonalds, 15 minutes away from the  LPR camera. Using the receipt and the time of the sale, they were able to see  the suspects who had purchased the cheeseburgers were in a small grey sedan.  Not yet knowing that two different vehicles might be involved, the detectives  then went to the LPR database. Using the time just prior to the burglaries,  detectives first searched for small grey sedans. And while there were a total  of 58 grey sedans that had passed though the LPR, only one passed through  twice, both outbound towards McDonalds and back towards the location of the  burglaries a short time later. A second search for the white sedan showed over  500 vehicles matching that description had passed by the LPR; however, only one  had the unique sunroof, and that vehicle was directly behind the grey sedan on  the LPR cameras. 

 The LPR did its  job; it was able to provide detectives with the license plate numbers of both  vehicles. Detectives were able track down the suspects tied to each vehicle.  One vehicle was owned by a construction worker who had been working nearby  where the burglaries occurred and had likely observed the victims leave their  homes, allowing the suspect to coordinate the burglaries with accomplices in  the white sedan. Being able to use LPR technology to develop leads allowed  these cases to be linked together and solved. The value of having LPR cameras  in a neighborhood was certainly demonstrated by this one event.

To foster police legitimacy and public trust, it is  essential to give residents and business owners confidence that if they ever  are victim to a crime, police will hold the perpetrators accountable. To aid in  this, the RPD decided to install the same type of LPR camera. They chose Flock  Safety because it was inconspicuous, therefore not an eyesore to the community;  powered by solar so it could be installed in locations that do not have access  to power; contained fast processing speeds to capture vehicles traveling at  high rates of speed; accessible via the web or phone based app to provide easy  search capabilities for officers in the field; activated via motion so that  those vehicles displaying paper plates are caught on camera; and, most  importantly, affordable so as not to stress the limited financial resources of  the department.

 Recognizing that there may be some people in the community  who may have reservations about police capturing license plate data in their  neighborhoods, the RPD first had the Redlands Privacy Council, which is made up  of concerned citizens, vet the program and sign off on it. They then followed  the Police Foundation’s advice for how to approach the community when  implementing a drone program and held a community meeting to explain the  program in detail and allow citizens to voice concerns and ask questions. The  meeting was livestreamed and residents were able to comment and ask questions  about the program via social media. Finally, the RPD distributed a press  release to the local newspaper. Transparency is extremely important to the RPD leadership  and they wanted to use all avenues available to inform residents and business  owners of the strategy. 

 The information dissemination helped ease most people’s  concerns, as the positive comments posted on social media easily outnumbered  the negative. For the concerns that were brought up, the RPD was able to  address them and gain even more support. For example, the fact that all data is  only to be retained for 30 days helped alleviate those concerns that the data  would be kept for years and possibly used for other purposes. After learning  the benefits of this technology, several community members even pooled their  financial resources to fund nine cameras, thereby enhancing a police/community  partnership and allowing the RPD to cover all major egress routes to the  predominantly residential south side portion of the city. If suspects are  coming to the area to commit crime, they will likely be captured on one of the  cameras when they leave. 

 The RPD’s investment has quickly paid off. In less than  five months, the cameras have been responsible for capturing the suspects’  getaway vehicles in several felonious crimes including nighttime commercial  restaurant burglaries, an armed robbery at a gas station, residential  burglaries, a street robbery and aggravated assault, the theft of numerous  propane tanks, and a serial mail theft. When detectives arrested a suspect in  one of the restaurant burglaries, they quickly tied him to two other restaurant  burglaries in the area. In another incident, a victim saw a grey BMW pull up to  her mailbox. A passenger exited the vehicle and stole the contents of the  mailbox. An LPR camera caught the vehicle and its license plate as it left the  area. Detectives were able to flag the license plate in the system, and when  the vehicle returned a week later, police received an alert allowing for  authorities to stop the vehicle. They found that the vehicle contained three  suspects and mail from numerous different houses. Postal inspectors had been  investigating the three suspects and federal indictments are forthcoming.

 As law enforcement continue to devote resources toward  community policing, it is evident the use of LPR technology can be a valuable  addition to their tool belt. Residents and business owners appreciate an  opportunity to partner with their police in helping apprehend those responsible  for victimizing their communities. The technology has evolved; in the past, LPR  cameras only caught images of metal license plates. Now, the technology exists  to capture vehicles that are displaying paper plates. Memorial Villages  recently recovered a stolen vehicle from a customized license plate alert. By  adopting an LPR strategy specifically designed for neighborhoods, law  enforcement agencies can continue to show their commitment to providing a high  level of service to those who they are sworn to protect and serve. 

*Travis Martinez is the  Assistant Chief of Police for the Redlands Police Department and has over 25  years of experience as a law enforcement officer. He can be reached at**tmartinez@redlandspolice.org**.*

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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