Looking for real-world events that prove the efficacy and power of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology? We just added a new case to our Success Story series. Read on.
THE CRIME
In response to concerns from family and friends, deputies from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) conducted a welfare check at a house on Dermody Ave. in San Lorenzo, California. It was then that they discovered the bodies of 32-year-old Jingwei "Melanie" Zhang and 38-year-old Dorothy Mak. The victims shared a residence with Howard Reed, a 31-year-old who quickly became a double homicide suspect. Unfortunately, Reed wasn't at the residence—but they knew how to find him.
THE ALERT
ACSO Investigations put out an alert for Reed and the vehicle registered to him, and sure enough, a license plate reader led the Kansas Highway Patrol directly to Reed. They booked him into the Leavenworth Detention Center, and soon after, he was brought back to Alameda County on a fugitive, no-bail warrant and put in Santa Rita Jail. Officially charged with two counts of murder, Reed faces up to 50 years in prison.
ALPR SUCCESS
Like many others, this success underscores the power of ALPR technology in helping law enforcement agencies track and apprehend suspects. As soon as the Kansas Highway Patrol received the alert, they were able to act fast in locating Reed and his vehicle. From there, it was all teamwork.
"I commend the Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies for their swift action in tracking down the alleged shooter and Kansas City law enforcement for assisting them with the arrest of Mr. Reed," DA Pamela Price said in a statement published on her official website. "Now that Mr. Reed has been captured and returned to Alameda County to face justice for this tragic crime, my office will hold him accountable on behalf of the two victims and their families.”
MEDIA COVERAGE
For more on this story, visit:
Fugitive Extradited and Charged with Murder of Two San Lorenzo Women, (Hoodline)
Man Charged In Double Shooting Deaths Of Two Women In San Lorenzo, (SFGate)
Suspect in San Lorenzo double-homicide arrested in Kansas (Yahoo)
