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Texas officers using ‘game-changer’ technology to track down suspects

A camera system that scans license plates has helped officers track down suspects and solve crimes in recent months

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By Sarah Calams

FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas police officers are crediting a camera system for helping them identify and find potential suspects.

The Fort Worth Police Department is using the Flock camera system to scan license plates to track down potential suspects and solve crimes, Fox4News.com reported. Over the weekend, the department received an alert from the system notifying them of a vehicle linked to an aggravated assault. The driver was later arrested, according to police.

“Flock cameras are cameras we have been able to place in certain high traffic areas throughout the city that will notify officers if it detects a license plate where either a wanted felon is involved in that vehicle in some way,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said. “The technology has been a game-changer.”

The technology was also recently used to alert police of a stolen vehicle, which resulted in a pursuit with a suspect who fired shots at officers. The suspect, who was wanted on three previous charges, was arrested after crashing during the pursuit. It was also used to arrest a man who was allegedly trying to drop drugs, cellphones and MP3 players via a drone at a prison in Fort Worth.

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