Trussville Police cracking crimes with new license plate readers

By Megan Miller, Editor

TRUSSVILLE — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office opened the Metro Area Crime Center on Wednesday.

The Metro Area Crime Center is a collaborative effort between the Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in Central Alabama to track and map criminal activity across jurisdiction boundaries using the latest technology. The sheriff’s office, along with 13 agencies, is participating.

The Trussville Police Department has assigned an officer to the Metro Area Crime Center, who has already assisted in solving crimes that occurred in the Central Alabama Area using the available technologies.

The primary tool officers working at the Center are using are license plate readers, which cost $65,000 each.

“If we’ve got a tag we’re looking for it will give us that information immediately,” Trussville Public Information Officer Capt. Jeff Bridges said. “It puts all of the investigators in all of the cities together.”

Bridges said the system Jefferson County has put in place was modeled after a similar system in Las Vegas.

“For example, you could put cameras at Target and it will record tag numbers and everything about a vehicle,” Bridges said. “The officers then compare similarities of different crimes. Our officer then builds the case himself and helps us develop suspects and warrants, and get that person arrested.”

Bridges said this tool will be essential in solving crimes, because more often than not, crimes that occur in Trussville are committed by people who don’t live in the area.

“Officers talk every day, all day and serve as liaisons back and forth to their departments,” Bridges said.

Bridges said that although the system has already helped to solve crimes, he expects more success as time goes on.