Updated technology is leading to more efficient law enforcement in Holmes Beach.
“It’s going great,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said May 21 about the system installed to photograph license plates as vehicles pass through Holmes Beach. “We have utilized it to solve crimes already.”
The license plate reader alerts the police officer on patrol when it identifies license plates of vehicles that could be stolen or driven by someone with a suspended license.
Tokajer said the system has led to 37 traffic stops that produced arrests or citations since it went live April 18.
He said someone reported stolen property and, because the victim gave a description of a car allegedly connected to the crime, the police department utilized the LPR system to locate the vehicle.
“That’s still an ongoing investigation, but we have been able to connect a vehicle, which gives us a suspect we can interview,” Tokajer said.
There are two cameras installed on Manatee Avenue west of the Anna Maria Island Bridge, two on Gulf Drive at 27th Street North and one camera on East Bay Drive near Manatee Avenue.
The service, provided by Vigilant Solutions of Livermore, California, verifies the information through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation databases.
If, upon verification, the information provided by Vigilant matches information in the databases, the police attempt to locate the vehicle and investigate the driver.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the law enforcement provider for Anna Maria, as well as the Longboat Key Police Department, also use the Vigilant LPR system.
“The MCSO already uses the same technology, so they can tap into our system just like that,” Tokajer said with a snap of his fingers. He said the MCSO does not have cameras in Anna Maria.
Bradenton Beach, on Gulf Drive between Holmes Beach and Longboat Key, declined to opt in with Holmes Beach on the LPR technology.
Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale said the city has used information from Longboat Key’s system to solve crimes and, if the need arose, he would request information from HBPD.
“With the cities on both sides of us already using the technology, we are pretty covered,” Speciale said. He added that he does not have enough staff to employ the system as a “pro-active tool.”
“I think it would be kind of a waste of my resources because I cannot be chasing after every suspended license,” he said.
When asked by The Islander about keeping up with LPR alerts, Tokajer said he would not need to hire another officer. He said an advantage of the system in Holmes Beach is that it allows more patrol time for his officers.
“In the past, when time permitted, we would have an officer monitoring the entrance to the island,” he said. “Now, this monitors that for us, which frees up the officers and gives them more time to spend keeping our neighborhoods and beaches safe.”