FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 15, 2007

Contact:
Chief Katherine A. Perez, Bowie Police Department
301-575-2480 or email: kperez@cityofbowie.org

Una Cooper, Communications Coordinator
301-809-3032 or email: ucooper@cityofbowie.org

Bowie Police Introduce New Weapon in Fight Against Crime at
Press Conference On Monday, November 19th at 10 a.m.

As the holiday shopping season goes into full swing next week, the Bowie Police Department will unveil a new tool to help them combat crime and keep Bowie shoppers safe. The tool is a license plate recognition system that allows police to automatically scan license plates as they patrol neighborhoods and shopping areas to identify those with outstanding motor vehicle or criminal violations. It will be introduced to the public on Monday, November 19th at a press conference at City Hall.

The Bowie Police Department and a few local businesses teamed up to purchase this $23,000 piece of equipment, which compares licenses tags it reads with motor vehicle and criminal databases. The system is mounted in a police cruiser and will alert the officer when a match is made. Then, depending on the nature of the match, further action or investigation can be taken by the officer. Business donors Wal-mart, Target, and the owners of Pointer Ridge Shopping Center and Collington Plaza contributed approximately 40% of the cost of the system, and have been invited to attend the ceremony on Monday.

Chief Katherine A. Perez calls the tool, which can read 5,000 tags in a typical patrol shift, a “force multiplier” because it saves police time and pinpoints potential problems. It can also be used as an investigative tool, such as in the case where a partial tag number is noted by a witness to a crime. “We hope that it lets the criminal element know that if they’re driving a stolen car in Bowie or have an outstanding warrant against them, chances are they’re eventually going to get caught with the help our new license reader system.”

Police tend to see a spike in crimes around the holidays as more people are out shopping and celebrating, and perhaps are more distracted than they should be. Chief Perez believes this tool will help keep criminals off the streets of Bowie. She also encourages residents and businesses to “harden their targets” by making it difficult to become a victim of crime. “Be aware of your surroundings, park in well-lit areas, and don’t invite trouble by leaving packages, cell phones, or GPS systems in plain view in a vehicle.”

The press conference will be held on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 10 a.m. at Bowie City Hall, located at 2614 Kenhill Drive, Bowie.