Deputies from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station apprehended two suspected car thieves in La Cañada Flintridge this week, thanks in large part to alerts from the city’s recently installed Flock Safety cameras.
Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested two suspects in the theft of a car and recovered the vehicle on Tuesday afternoon with the help of the city’s recently installed license plate-reading devices, known as Flock Safety Security cameras, which alert law enforcement to previously flagged vehicles.
At about 1:20 p.m., deputies were informed about a stolen white Nissan Sentra in the La Cañada Flintridge area, officials said, and Deputy Gregory Afsharian spotted the vehicle near Gould Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. He conducted a traffic stop as the car entered the Trader Joe’s shopping center.
Other deputies arrived and detained two suspects, officials said, adding that while searching the car the deputies also found narcotics and evidence of identity theft. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and booked at the Crescenta Valley station, according to officials.
“The Flock system came through again,” said Capt. Todd Deeds, adding that the recovered vehicle had been reported stolen out of Orange County.
Deeds noted that the Flock devices have proved to be highly effective since installation in LCF was completed in August. There are now 39 cameras installed throughout the city.
“We love these cameras, they’re fantastic — they’re proving to be a very effective tool,” Deeds said, adding that on Sunday, another stolen car was recovered in LCF after the cameras alerted authorities to its whereabouts. That car was found abandoned; a suspect was not found.
In October alone, Deeds said, the Flock system tipped off authorities about a number of suspicious vehicles, which led to about six people being taken into custody regarding three separate stolen cars.
Authorities also apprehended a residential burglary suspect last month after the Flock system had recorded his vehicle near the scene of the crime a few weeks earlier, the captain added. That suspect was taken into custody upon his return to the city, Deeds said.
