High-tech eyes in the sky helped La Mesa cops nab a teenage car thief Sunday night, police sources say. The La Mesa Police Department's cutting-edge automatic license plate recognition system, Flock, spotted a stolen 2018 Hyundai Elantra cruising the streets just before the witching hour, pinging officers to its illicit drive-by.
The eagle-eyed Flock system, effectively a digital watchman, signaled the theft of the $15,000 vehicle that had been reported stolen out of San Diego, allowing patrol units to swoop in on the hot wheels quickly. A brief pursuit ensued, with the law unerringly on the trail, culminating in a safe traffic stop that grounded the joyride and the suspected juvenile driver, a 16-year-old from El Cajon.
Despite the youth's brush with a life of crime, the perp was taken into custody without incident in a display of restraint and professionalism by La Mesa PD, according to the department's Facebook update. Praises might be sung for the Flock ALPR system that, without rest or need for respite, serves as the guardian of the city's vehicular comings and goings. Yet, the incident raises gnawing questions about privacy and surveillance in our current age.
