Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis credited the city’s new Flock cameras with helping foil a group of people who reportedly were breaking into a pickup on Dublin Lane. The Flock cameras, or license plate-detection cameras, read license plates on vehicles passing by and alert authorities if the vehicles are stolen or linked to crimes.
“At about 1:45 a.m. (May 18), Flock cameras notified us of a stolen BMW in the Collins Avenue area,” Lewis said. “Officers found the BMW sitting on Dublin Lane. There were several people around it breaking into a 2002 Ford F-150. They were caught in the act.”
He said the person driving the BMW drove off, and the rest of the suspects ran away.
“We continued the pursuit of the BMW,” he said. “We stopped the pursuit when we got to Herculaneum.”
Lewis said the owner of the pickup said nothing had been stolen from his vehicle. No other victims were found in the area where the BMW was traced.
The cameras helped police stop the group of suspects from what could have been multiple vehicle break-ins or other possible crimes, he added.
“They were just getting started,” Lewis said.
He said the city has had the Flock cameras for about six months.
Lewis said the suspects who got away had not been arrested as of May 24. Anyone with information is asked to call Festus Police at 636-937-3646.