A Menifee license-plate reading camera helped police locate two fugitives wanted in Indiana, ending with their arrest. Linda Swift, 75, and Thomas Baker, 55, were taken into custody without incident and now await extradition to Indiana on the warrants.
According to Canyon Lake Insider, Menifee Police Department investigators learned on August 12 that Swift and Baker were wanted on active extraditable warrants issued by the state of Indiana. Investigators used the department's Flock automated license plate reader camera system, which located the fugitives' vehicle in the city of Menifee, and then coordinated with the department's Special Enforcement Team, which contacted the pair and took them into custody without incident.
Swift and Baker were transported to the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, where they will remain in custody pending extradition to authorities from the state of Indiana. The Riverside County-run facility, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, is a detention center serving the area.
A Young Department Leans on Camera Technology
A statement relayed by Menifee 24/7 said the city's Flock Safety network has directly assisted police in making more than 120 criminal arrests since it was deployed.
Menifee's police department is still relatively new. The City of Menifee provides information about its police services, according to the City of Menifee. Gutierrez was sworn in as chief in June.
Separately, Action Eye News LIVE noted that two people wanted out of Indiana were arrested in Menifee after a Flock camera helped police locate their vehicle, underscoring how automated plate-reading technology can help locate out-of-state fugitives.
What the Camera Network Looks Like
As of April 2024, the Menifee Police Department operated 28 Flock Safety ALPR cameras across the city and maintained a 30-day data retention policy for captured plate reads, according to surveillance tracking compiled by the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance. Police say the system can assist with locating missing persons, identifying wanted individuals, locating vehicles tied to criminal activity, and apprehending suspects attempting to evade arrest.
The department's automated license-plate-reader procedures are not detailed in the available account.
Automated license-plate-reader policies remain part of a wider national debate over the technology, as Hoodline previously reported.
Automated license-plate-reader systems capture plate reads, while questions about how such data are handled remain part of the broader debate over the technology.
Growing Pushback Elsewhere
While Menifee touts its arrest numbers, privacy concerns have been raised about Flock Safety cameras elsewhere. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance tracks law-enforcement use of surveillance technology, including automated license-plate readers.
Menifee's Flock network has also been used in law enforcement. For now, city officials continue to point to cases like the Swift and Baker arrests as evidence the camera system is paying off, even as other communities weigh whether the trade-off is worth it.
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