Sarasota Police Recover Stolen Car Using Advanced Real-Time...

In Sarasota, Florida, a remarkable turn of events unfolded when police successfully located a stolen vehicle shortly after receiving the alert. This swift recovery was made possible by leveraging the advanced technology housed within the Real-Time Operations Center at police headquarters.

During the incident, analysts stationed at the center were able to listen in on live radio communications. As they received details about the vehicle’s description and license plate number, they utilized city-wide cameras and license plate readers to track the car as it moved within city boundaries.

“Our network of cameras across Sarasota allows us to quickly identify vehicles like the blue Hyundai in question. Once we had the tag number, we spotted it on the move and immediately informed officers, who then headed to the area,” explained John Lake, the SPD Real-Time Operations Center Manager.

The vehicle’s 19-year-old driver, who was already wanted for offenses in Georgia, attempted to flee when officers initiated a traffic stop. Abandoning the car in a residential neighborhood, he escaped on foot, ultimately hiding in a backyard shed in an effort to evade capture.

In less than an hour from the 911 call, the teen was taken into custody.

“Basically, we are there to assist the officers because obviously they are going to the call and they can’t be getting on their computer doing all of this extensive research. Some of this stuff is so fluid, it is moving so quickly and rapidly which is why we call it Real-Time Operations Center,” Lake said. “We are dealing with stuff that is real-time, where the officers are going to these calls, they are pulling up this data, they are relaying it to the officers, we are coordinating other officers to go look for this vehicle at different areas where the vehicle is passing these cameras, we are handling this stuff as rapidly as we can.”

The suspect in the case involving the stolen car now faces multiple felony charges. Police said he is from Casselberry, Florida.

“If he doesn’t get caught here, he is going to continue to commit crimes most likely and then you have more victims, so we put a stop to it immediately with this unit,” Lake said.

Looking ahead, the ROC plans to start a drone first responder program and incorporate live 911 call monitoring.

“In 26 square miles, it takes about three and a half minutes to get there, so our goal is to have the drone on these life-threatening events and stuff that they are going to be able to get the drone there before the 911 caller even hangs up,” Lake said.

The 911 monitoring is slated to begin by the end of April. The drone program is expected to launch in October this year.

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Sarasota Police Recover Stolen Car Using Advanced Real-Time Technology

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