The Windsor Police Service has arrested a female suspect and recovered a stolen motor vehicle with the aid of automated licence plate recognition technology.
On Aug. 26, police say the owner of a 2023 SUV reported that her vehicle had been stolen from the 1500 block of Gladstone Avenue.
The next day at 10:30 a.m., an officer in a marked cruiser equipped with an ALPR reader was patrolling the 300 block of Wyandotte Street East.
The technology alerted the officer to a stolen vehicle parked in a nearby lot.
Officers quickly surrounded the vehicle and arrested the four occupants.
A 27-year-old woman has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.
The other occupants were released without charges.
The stolen vehicle was recovered and returned to its owner.
The ALPR system continuously scans licence plates around a patrol vehicle and notifies the operating officer of any hits. For example, if the system scanned the licence plate of a stolen vehicle, it would notify the officer of a potential criminal offence.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Property Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4350.
Tips can also be reported anonymously to Windsor and Essex County Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.catchcrooks.com.