Police are being credited with using new technology to quickly arrest a suspect wanted out of Washington on child sexual abuse charges in Grover Beach this week after learning he was believed to be in the area.
“Using our license plate reader system, we were able to generate an interest in that license plate and we received an alert from the system that the vehicle had been in our city yesterday afternoon,” said Grover Beach Police Chief Brian Millard.
Commander Millard said officers were dispatched to 7th Street and Grand Avenue on Wednesday afternoon for a high-risk stop.
Nearby construction workers, including Kyle Swiringa, also witnessed the scene.
“We were across the street and when I looked over I realized I was in the line of fire,” Swillinga said. “They pulled the suspect out of the car and took him back to his car.”
Police say a license plate reading camera installed in 2023 led to the suspect’s arrest just one day after being notified by Ellensburg police.
“We may still be there,” Millard said.
He says the technology has already helped in some cases.
“We were able to remove 10 stolen vehicles in the area and make arrests involving those stolen vehicles,” Millard said.
Resident Marissa Zambo said she’s glad the facility is being used.
“So, if we didn’t have this system, we wouldn’t catch the bad guys,” Zambo said.
The Grover Beach Police Department plans to further enhance its operations by incorporating AI and other technologies.
“What we’re building is what we’re calling a real-time crime information center, consolidating all of our technology into a single intelligence room that will be a hub for identifying trends,” Millard said.
Seventeen cameras have been installed at various locations around the city, costing about $2,500 each, and Millard said about half of the cameras were recently funded with a federal technology grant.
