News headline from the Redlands Police Department:

Redlands and San Bernardino Police are crediting a piece of technology and a cooperative partnership among local law enforcement for the recent arrest of a suspect wanted for armed robbery in San Bernardino.

Redlands Police Cpl. Aneta Stewart was on patrol at about 8:00 a.m. February 23.  She was heading north on Eureka Street in a patrol car fitted with an Automated License Plate Reader when she received a hit on the license plate of passing southbound vehicle.

Cpl. Stewart made a U-turn and stopped the vehicle, a 1997 Toyota 4Runner, at the intersection of Cajon Street and Olive Avenue.

The driver, Eric Wayne Eaves, 42, of Redlands, was wanted by San Bernardino Police for the February 19 armed robbery of the Walmart store at 4210 East Highland Avenue in  San Bernardino.

San Bernardino detectives say Eaves left the store with merchandise hidden in his clothing.  When he was confronted by a Walmart loss prevention officer he pulled a knife and escaped in the Toyota 4Runner.

The license plate number of the vehicle was entered into a statewide database and was picked up by the Automated License Plate Reader on Cpl. Stewart’s patrol vehicle.

The ALPR system with three cameras mounted on a police unit uses optical technology to read license plates and query a statewide database, which is updated several times daily.  When the ALPR gets a hit on a wanted plate an alert sounds in the officer’s vehicle and the information is validated through the originating agency.  Redlands Police currently have one ALPR unit.

Eaves was arrested without incident.

Redlands Police also located heroin packaged for sale in the vehicle.

San Bernardino Police took custody of Eaves and filed robbery charges on February 23.  Bail was set at $500,000.

Filed under Headline

Thursday, March 1, 2012

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