LINDALE, Texas — Thanks to a piece of unique video technology, a stolen vehicle that drove away from a Lindale gas station after a robbery last month was found two days later in Oklahoma.
Lindale police officers responded to the Raceway gas station on South Main Street because of an aggravated robbery on Jan. 8.
Police were able to get a description of the vehicle using gas station surveillance video. Then, using the department’s Flock Safety system, which locates a vehicle’s license plate, the officers learned it was in Paris the next day, Lindale Police Department Sgt. Mike Lazarine said.
Lazarine said the investigation showed the vehicle was stolen in the Dallas-area suburb of Balch Springs. On Jan. 10, the vehicle was recovered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the robbery suspect was arrested.
Officers also found guns inside the vehicle.
Lazarine said Lindale police have used Flock Safety for a little over a year, and within the past year, officers have recovered over a dozen stolen vehicles.
“It’s helped us recover stolen vehicles. Once we get the vehicle stopped, we might find weapons,” Lazarine said. “It's really beneficial to us to be able to clear out some of those cases.”
In addition to locating stolen vehicles, Lazarine said the technology also helped with a missing person case out of Mississippi.
Josh Thomas, Flock Safety vice president of external affairs, said the company has been around since 2017 and it’s available to help gas stations, malls, individuals, neighborhoods, law enforcement and cities with their security needs.
Thomas said most crime happens using a vehicle and one of the company’s goals is to help solve and reduce crime. The camera system locates the license plate and takes a photo, allowing investigators to solve the case.
A majority of crime goes unsolved because of a lack of evidence, Thomas said.
“If you don't have the evidence, there's not a lot you can do with the investigation,” Thomas said.
He also noted that privacy is a big concern for Flock Safety. So if the police aren’t going to use the video, it will be cleared from the camera.
Locally, the Tyler Police Department and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office are also using the Flock Safety system.
Lazarine added Flock Safety is very helpful because a lot of times all officers have is a vehicle description.
“If we're able to get a license plate and a time period of when the crime was committed, it helps narrow down our suspect pool quite a bit,” Lazarine said.
In Lindale, the Flock Safety cameras are in various locations across the city and they’re often moved around to protect more areas of town.
“I would definitely recommend other agencies getting this,” Lazarine said. “It's just been a great tool for us. It's made it very productive in closing out our cases."
