3 days ago
Temple credits new crime fighting tool in arrest of suspect wanted in several states
The Brief
An arrest has been made in a multi-state investigation, as a 20-year-old man, wanted for several burglaries is caught.
The arrest is thanks to new license plate reading technology and is proof the technology is going to be a game-changer in fighting crime.
NORTH PHILADELPHIA - Temple University's security team is crediting a new crime-fighting tool with leading to an arrest of a suspect wanted in several states.
How it works
A small solar panel sits above a camera tethered to a pole at Temple University. It's one of nearly 1,500 security cameras eyeing the North Philly campus. Temple said these cameras, part of the Flock Safety system, have a long reach.
Jennifer Griffin is the Temple University Chief of Police. She said, "If you flag a vehicle registration in the system, when it hits on the camera, the system sends multiple alerts to investigators, police dispatch and other people."
Timeline
Temple reports that's how its officers were able to collar 20-year-old Jahid Robinson on campus back in December.
New Castle County, Delaware police had linked Robinson, of Delaware County, Pa., to a series of burglaries - where residents were home - in the Greenville section of Wilmington.
Master Corporal Richard Chambers is with the New Castle County Police Department. He said, "He was going into people's occupied homes. He was going into houses taking property and car keys, going into driveways, ransacking cars, taking property."
Wanted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, New Castle police entered his plate into the Flock system and received a hit on a vehicle near the 1000 block of Diamond Street on campus. Temple police were alerted, and Robinson was arrested.
Big picture view
Temple called reporters to campus Friday to trumpet the arrest and highlight the success of this computer-powered security system whose cameras FOX 29 spotted in several locations.
On hand, U.S. Representative Brendon Boyle is credited with winning Justice Department funding for Flock. Boyle said, "To come full circle and be here today to see the fruits of that labor actually lead to an arrest is incredibly exciting."
