Guadalupe County uses Vigilant Solutions License Plate Readers to Enforce Capias Warrants
LIVERMORE, Calif., Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Vigilant Solutions announces today that the Guadalupe County Constable's and Sheriff's Offices are using its license plate reader (LPR) systems to enforce outstanding capias warrants while also improving public safety by locating stolen vehicles, felony vehicles, and other vehicles of interest.
Guadalupe County deployed seven mobile LPR systems from Vigilant Solutions in April 2015 to better enable officers to enforce more than 26,500 outstanding warrants in the County. In addition to enforcement of the warrants, the County also compares all license plates against the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) database managed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the county court and district warrant databases.
Constable Michael Skrobarcek states, "The system allows us a means to identify vehicles associated with capias warrants here in the County. These are violations to which an individual has pled guilty and agreed to pay a fine rather than serve a jail sentence. If the individual does not pay these fines however, a capias warrant is issued for their arrest and they are subject to having their vehicle impounded and serving jail time. We would rather not be in the business of impounding vehicles and placing people in jail for these types of offenses, which is costly for both the individual and the County."
"Using the Vigilant system, we are able to remind the individual of their agreement and obligation while providing them a convenient way to settle their warrants either by taking a credit card payment there on the roadside, or by visiting a simple payment website using a PIN number that we provide to them during the stop. For the individuals, this is much more convenient and less costly than the alternative of going to jail which results in lost work time, paying to have their vehicle taken out of impound, and settling their fees. Since deploying Vigilant Solutions, we have cleared around 4,500 of these warrants. It has proven incredibly effective."
Enabled by Vigilant Solutions' LPR, Guadalupe County has also seen a rapid increase in the number of stolen vehicle recoveries and has made numerous arrests arising from the alerts received from the other vehicle databases being monitored. "What I like most," comments Constable Skrobarcek, "is that the system treats all vehicles equally…it simply reads the numbers and letters on your plate and lets us know if the vehicle matches any databases. It is non-intrusive and anonymous in nature, and does not gather any personal information as it scans plates."
Shawn Smith, Founder and President of Vigilant comments, "Guadalupe County is to be applauded for their innovative use of LPR. This is a socially responsible way to enforce the laws of the County without placing significant inconvenience or hardship on its citizens. We hope that other agencies around the country will follow their lead."
About Vigilant Solutions:
Based in Livermore, California, Vigilant Solutions is an industry-leading pioneer of innovative intelligence solutions that help law enforcement protect officers, families and communities. For additional information, visit www.vigilantsolutions.com.
Editorial contact:
Brian Shockley, +1 (925) 398-2079 ext 731, [email protected]
SOURCE Vigilant Solutions
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